A Few Questions About Before/After School Care

[cheerfuldom]

Can you share with me how long you normally have your school agers and what you charge?

Do you walk them to and from the bus stop?

Anybody have a schedule of activities you can share? I normally dont do TV with my daycare kids so I would rather not have that on for the school agers.

Do you guarantee anything as far as homework help/tutoring?

Do you HAVE to offer full day care for days when the school is closed? I really dont want to do school agers for the full day but feel that before and after school kids would be just fine with my setup.

[DaisyMamma]

Can you share with me how long you normally have your school agers and what you charge?
I don't do mornings, they are far too crazy even in the morning. I like it quiet in the AM with just my family until about 8, then DCKs start arriving. The SA get off the bus about 345 and stay till about 530. I charge $65/week for that. When they come half days the charge is double. Full days are $35-$40.

Do you walk them to and from the bus stop?
The bus stops at my house but I would never let them walk alone to a bus stop.

Anybody have a schedule of activities you can share? I normally dont do TV with my daycare kids so I would rather not have that on for the school agers. They really only enjoy running around outside the whole time they are here. Sometimes they like crafts and coloring.

Do you guarantee anything as far as homework help/tutoring?
Not at all.

Do you HAVE to offer full day care for days when the school is closed? I really dont want to do school agers for the full day but feel that before and after school kids would be just fine with my setup.
Don't feel bad saying that you can't do full days. One provider in my area doesn't even do half days for SA kids and her program is only for SA kids.

Good luck!

[cheerfuldom]

Thank you for your reply. I was thinking about $60 a week per child but I do have one interested mom that would be picking up at 4pm (not staying till closing at 5:30) which is fine by me so I did shoot her a cheaper rate.

I will keep you in mind if I have further questions!

[Meeko]

I have 5 schoolies...soon to be 6. I have had all of them since they were very small. Their parents still pay the same amount as everyone else. They want a place during the times school is out and so are willing to pay the extra $$$ to keep them with me.

The bus stop is RIGHT outside my back gate, so they just wait right there in the yard until the bus pulls up.

I do not do homework, and make that VERY clear to parents. They can do it while here, but I do not help or make sure they complete it. Years back I had a mom call and chew me out after parent/teacher conference because her child's grades were not that good. It was "all my fault" because I hadn't spent enough time doing her son's homework!!

They like puzzles, coloring, crafts, memory games. etc. I allow them to play educational video games for a limited times.

In the summer, my husband often comes and gets the older ones and takes them to my house where they can(with the parents permission) use the pool. My husband is with them constantly. He also takes them to local places like the canyon, the ball park etc.

They are good when here at the day care because their trips with my husband depend on their behavior!!

[MN Day Mom]

Can you share with me how long you normally have your school agers and what you charge? Currently I don't have any school agers, but when I did, they came in the mornings for 30-45 minutes and they'd return at 3:00 for one school and almost 4:00 for another. I charged $50.00 a week.

Do you walk them to and from the bus stop? Bus stop was at the end of my driveway for both schools... it would depend upon how old the children are if I would walk them to the bus stop or not and how far away it is.

Anybody have a schedule of activities you can share? I normally dont do TV with my daycare kids so I would rather not have that on for the school agers. Right after they'd get home from school we'd have snack and then we'd all head outside to play if the weather was decent. If the weather wasn't, we'd do a variety of things inside... mostly art type things or making obstacle courses, those types of things. I have had a few kids who enjoyed getting their homework done here so they'd have more free time when getting home to their own neighborhoods

Do you guarantee anything as far as homework help/tutoring? Nope, but if a parent requested their child do their homework I would make that time available to them, however, I wouldn't guarantee to help them (even though often I did)

Do you HAVE to offer full day care for days when the school is closed? I really dont want to do school agers for the full day but feel that before and after school kids would be just fine with my setup. I did but I also had other kids here that were here all day. I would think most parents would want that option for non school days and summer breaks?

I would love to someday just do school agers... Good Luck!!!

[cheerfuldom]

thanks for more posts!

The bus stop is about two blocks from here. Not a big deal to walk them all over. But i am going to call the school and see if a pickup in front of my house could be arranged. There would be four to six kids in one spot and our street is U shaped so it shouldnt be a huge issue for the bus to take an extra turn on the route. I hope that works out because so far, all the interested families have very young schoolagers, with the oldest being 7. Perhaps that may factor into the bus stop situation. Otherwise, on bad weather days, I could always load them all in the mini van and park the van near the stop. i dont mind walking though.

[sharlan]

Can you share with me how long you normally have your school agers and what you charge? DCB #1, I have M & F from 5 AM until school and M-F afterschool until 4 or 5 depending on who is picking him up. I charge $80 a week. DCB #2, I have 4 mornings a week for 30 mins each day. I charge them $20 a week.

Do you walk them to and from the bus stop? I live across the street from the back of the school and walk them back and forth.

Anybody have a schedule of activities you can share? I normally dont do TV with my daycare kids so I would rather not have that on for the school agers. Before school, they watch tv, go out back to play, or play air hockey. Afterschool, is a nightmare for the one as the only thing he wants to do is play on my computer, which I don't allow. I've not found a way to entertain him after 8 months beyond cartoons which he watches for 10 mins at a time before he finds something else BORING to do.

Do you guarantee anything as far as homework help/tutoring? I do not guarantee anything, but I do help with homework and check it after he's finished.

Do you HAVE to offer full day care for days when the school is closed[/B]? I really dont want to do school agers for the full day but feel that before and after school kids would be just fine with my setup.

I do, but dcb #1, prefers not to come so he stays with Grandma or Dad's gf. DCM #2 works for the school, so she's off work and he doesn't come.

[AfterSchoolMom]

Can you share with me how long you normally have your school agers and what you charge?

Last year I had SA's from 7-8:10am and again from 3 to 5. I charged $80 per week for B/A and $60 for after only.

Do you walk them to and from the bus stop?

I always walked them to the bus stop in the AM and waited there with them, but they came home in the afternoon as a group and I didn't greet them at the bus stop unless it was raining hard.

Anybody have a schedule of activities you can share? I normally dont do TV with my daycare kids so I would rather not have that on for the school agers.

Arrival, snack/drink, then outside play. I had art supplies, crafts, legos, blocks, board games, etc. for rainy days. I tried to do an organized craft on Fridays, but it wasn't always necessary. I tried doing homework after snack for a while, but it was just too hard and too much stress to get them to settle down after a long day at school.

Do you guarantee anything as far as homework help/tutoring?

I used to, but don't anymore. Now we play until about 4:15 and they work on what homework they can get done in the remaining time.

Do you HAVE to offer full day care for days when the school is closed? I really dont want to do school agers for the full day but feel that before and after school kids would be just fine with my setup.

I didn't - I had teacher families or those that followed the school calendar. I tried that for the first year, and it drove me NUTS. SA's are hard to keep entertained for a full day!!!!

[cheerfuldom]

Last year I had SA's from 7-8:10am and again from 3 to 5. I charged $80 per week for B/A and $60 for after only.



I always walked them to the bus stop in the AM and waited there with them, but they came home in the afternoon as a group and I didn't greet them at the bus stop unless it was raining hard.



Arrival, snack/drink, then outside play. I had art supplies, crafts, legos, blocks, board games, etc. for rainy days. I tried to do an organized craft on Fridays, but it wasn't always necessary. I tried doing homework after snack for a while, but it was just too hard and too much stress to get them to settle down after a long day at school.



I used to, but don't anymore. Now we play until about 4:15 and they work on what homework they can get done in the remaining time.



I didn't - I had teacher families or those that followed the school calendar. I tried that for the first year, and it drove me NUTS. SA's are hard to keep entertained for a full day!!!!

yeah I dont think I will offer full day for SA's but thanks for your responses. Sounds like you made some good money doing this.

[familyschoolcare]

Can you share with me how long you normally have your school agers and what you charge?

I only do school age. I charge 100 for 5 days a week and 200 a week during school holidays and summer. That rate is for 10 hour and 15 mins. minus the time children are in school.

Do you walk them to and from the bus stop?

I pick them up from school. Busses are not th enorm in my area and right now none of my DCK have contracted hours that allow them to come before school.

Anybody have a schedule of activities you can share? I normally dont do TV with my daycare kids so I would rather not have that on for the school agers.

We come home from school have snack, then homwork (for however long it takes), then go to the "little" park (3 blocks away) untill either dark of almost time for pick ups to start. Then we have free play sometimes I will put TV on at this time but usually only if the special needs child is acting like he needs to wind down and usually he is the only one that watches it.

Do you guarantee anything as far as homework help/tutoring?

This is what my parent handbook says about homework club. "I supply the time, space and assistance necessary for children to do their homework. Actually, doing and finishing their homework is up to them."

Do you HAVE to offer full day care for days when the school is closed? I really dont want to do school agers for the full day but feel that before and after school kids would be just fine with my setup.

I offer full day care when school is out.