| I had this same problem two years ago when my son began kindergarten.
My daycare had been in a different town then where we live. This would
not work because the local school bus routes are within our town only and
having someone communte him back and forth was impossible.
I found a wonderful in-home daycare situation. My two children have
been there for over two years and it has worked out very well. We
have become very close with our day-care family and have even gone
camping with them.
To get back to the point: The kids are there year-round. I notify the
school by June 1st of their pick-up and drop-off points. Frankie (2nd
grade this year) is picked up at our house in the morning and dropped
off at his day-care home in the afternoon. Sarah (kindergarten this
year) will also be picked up at our house during the morning session
and dropped off at the day-care home at noon. During the afternoon
session she will be picked up and dropped off at her day-care home.
I like this because I don't have to constantly make different
arrangements during school/summer vacations. My day-care takes
them year round. The only thing is that this school year I will
only be working four days so on my day off I'll have to either pick
them up at school or at day-care after school. The school does not
allow convient busing (changing the bus route/destination for special
days,etc) This is not a big deal. I'll just pick them up at school
on my day off. It will be a real treat for them.....
BTW, I'm so HAPPY. I start part-time on August 6th. I'm going from a
40 to a 30 hour work week. I'll have more time for the family and
still be able to continue my career at Digital. What more could I
ask for!
Well, that's what works for us. Good luck finding the right situation
for your family. It does get more complicated when the kids are in
school so it's a good idea to start thinking ahead.
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The nursey school/daycare that my daughter goes to has after
kindergarten care. int he fall, my daughter will be picked up
at my house in the morning and dropped off at the nursry school
at noon. In the afternoon, she will be in an "enrichment" program.
In the spring, town kindergarten will be in the afternoon. So, we'll
drop her off at the nursey school in the morning, the bus will
pick her up at noon, and she'll go back to the nursery school
at 3.
Check with your nursery school, maybe they have some arrangment like
that. I was told that it is getting very poplar. My town has
after school care, but kindergarten kids will have to be bused to
2 different places after school. I don't feel comfortable with
such a hectic schedule for a 5 yr old and it turns out that the
nursery school program is cheaper.
Eva.
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| Where I live, there is a parent-governed non-profit corporation at each
elementary school that provides Extended Day services. At three
schools, the programs are on site. At the other two, the groups
jointly sponsor a single E.D. program at a former elementary school.
These programs were all started at parent initiative roughly 10 years
ago.
I know of other towns where Extended Day programs are organized by,
through, or at: town-wide parent organizations; community centers;
YMCAs; town Recreation Committees; centers that are mainly pre-schools;
etc. Inquire at your school, P.T.A., town hall, community center, or
the like, to find what currently exists, or to find others who might
want a new or expanded program.
Some of these programs offer school-year vacation activities as well;
many don't (including mine), which can be a hassle, though I have
sometimes organized short term parent co-ops with other E.D. families.
Summer vacation programs usually means daycamps of various sorts,
sometimes run by the same groups that do Extended Day in winter.
Plan ahead. Some programs get oversubscribed, and organizing something
new takes plenty of lead time. I'm pretty sure there is a state-wide
coalition of E.D. programs that might provide advice on starting one
(in Massachussetts). They've been regulated by the O.F.C. for about 2
years, so there are rules and red tape.
- Bruce
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