Why Choose a Kindercare (Or Similar) for After-care?

I only used kindercare because - it was the only choice.. I dropped my kindergartener off at 7 am.. and at 12 noon they drove her to school. they were the only center that offered the bus ride to school.. my elementary school did not offer childcare for 1/2 day kindergarteners.

I did not like kindercare. It was expensive. The staff was mostly young and somewhat inexperienced. When I dropped off in the am.. it was fairly calm.. but in the afternoon.. it was chaotic..

I havent observed the school latch key program. I do not know how it runs.

J.:

If schools closed due to weather - the after school program is closed as well....if a teacher is sick ...much like home day care's - vacations, sickness, etc. at a "center" you don't have that.

Check with Kindercare to see if your employer or husband's employer is on their discount program...some companies get 20% off their rates.

At our kindercare? The kids get 15 minutes of snack/play time - then they had to do homework. So when I picked them up? Homework was done and I just double checked it...made life much easier.

I like our after school care, which is actually 10 dollars cheaper a week than the school one, and I can have her watched there during the summers, which the school doesn't offer.

I suggest you read the reviews for the Kindercare you're thinking about on your local social services page under child care. You may rethink your choice! I did not like my experience with Kindercare after the infant room.

My children go to Kindercare here in IL. I have been very happy with it - my daughter has gone since she was 3 months (she''' be 3 in December) and my son, who is 5.5, started when he was 3. My son will start kindergarten this year - 9-2:30 so we will only be paying for before and after care for him and it's less than $100 (that's just for my son - with my daughter it's certainly more) - really he will be there an hour in the morning and an hour and a half in the afternoon.

So, like you, if the school program is half what Kindercare is - I don't know why someone would choose it. My sons school does not have a before/after program...

lol...you're paying for that glossy brochure ;)

i always pay a lot more attention to how the directors/teachers treat the kids than that other stuff. all i care about is that they care for my son as i would. to that end he has had two primary caregiving places in his life, one an in-home daycare lady who was AWESOME and loved her like her own, and one a small private daycare/preschool, and those ladies looked after him like their own also. i could not have been happier. and we chose primarily based on price. on the one hand i feel i got lucky - on the other, i reason that people who charge less and are not in it for the money, trying to gouge us parents, probably have different, much better motivations. just my experience.

My son's school has a before/after program. But they are not open for all of the school holidays. Only part of them. Grrrr......

So my son is staying at the daycare he's been going to for the past year and a half. By the time he gets there from school, it's pretty much free play time the rest of the day. But, I will have full time care for the school holidays. It works out for us.

DD's old preschool picks up kids from her school for afterschool care. We thought about having them pick her up, but it would cost about $50 more per month than what her school's afterschool program costs. She much prefers to be at the school anyway with the big kids. The playground is much bigger at her school and she's with older kids instead of being stuck on a smaller playground with 3 and 4 year olds. DD definitely feels more independent being at her school. Another advantage of having DD attend her school's afterschool program is that DD's school is right on my way home and her preschool would be a little out of the way. The discipline is also better at school.

Our after school program is held at a place that is a day camp during the summer and then provides everything from infant classes to after school through 8th grade. It's the flipping taj mahal of child care - a lake with water craft, a pool, 2 outdoor play grounds, a full size gymnasium with a rock climbing wall, multiple classrooms with activities like gymnastics, yoga, board games, magic, karate, music, two art studios, a homework room, etc. And even with all that...my kids complain that they're bored and would rather be at home.

Anyway...that's why I picked this place instead of the in-school option. That program is run by the Y which in my town, has a really crappy child care program. The staff is terrible and the program looks like no fun. It's loud and unorganized, it's in a crowded cafeteria, they don't let the kids run around, etc. It's basically "sit there and do your homework" while the "teachers" yell at the kids and talk to each other.

Not a fan of daycare centers. It's all about the money & numbers, & there's too much turnover.

We chose the schools before/after care. It's way less than any of the centers, on site, and the people seem more caring are just as qualified. Didn't like the idea of DD having to sit in a van for lord knows how long while other kids are picked up at different schools.

Ultimately, you should go with your gut/first instinct.

Have you checked your local church schools. Some of them offer an after school program for a low cost.

Have you seen if your state has a site with inspection info for daycare facilities? In TX we do, and I have reviewed them closely. The Kindercare by me had around 10 violations, some quite appalling. I am sure they are not all the same but definitely something to find out.