Risks of After School Programs

by Sandra Romo

After school programs provide many resources to a parent needing assistance with childcare after the youngster completes the school day. While many view an after-school program as a great thing, many others feel the opposite. When you choose the right after school programs for your child, it is important to consider three significant risks. Reliability, effectiveness and safety are three topics you need to address.
Reliability

Can you trust the program? When you leave your child with another individual or child-care program you need to trust those in charge. If you do not trust the program, there are reliability issues to address. Before you enroll, ask the director the following questions: 1.) Is this program licensed and which licenses does it hold? 2.) What is your mission and philosophy? 3.) What are the top three things children will gain from this program? A reliable after school program will address these questions with ease. A program that struggles with these questions may still be reliable, so ask for a contact list of parents and get some references on your own.

Safety

With reliability comes safety. The last thing you want to worry about when you enroll your child in a program is her personal safety. It is important to address this issue in your initial visit and find out about the program's discipline policy, how they store cleaning supplies, and their staff's CPR and first aid certification policies. Most important, check out the program's background screening process for new and existing employees. Make sure to ask your program director how they deal with bullies. There are many situations in schools and programs where children are bullied and feel unsafe. Make sure your child is comfortable. Ask if you can leave the child on a trial or preview day to see how she adapts. If she is uncomfortable, it may not be the right program.
Effectiveness

It is important to consider how this program will help your child. Any reputable program will offer some type of curriculum or academic services. Before enrolling your child, find out what they offer and the effectiveness of the program. According to Eduguide.org, "The best programs have caring, well-trained teachers and children who are happy to be there. Activities should have specific goals and outcomes based on sound research." If not sold on the program director's responses, pull out that contact list you asked for and call other parents with children enrolled in the program. The best reference is from a happy or unhappy customer, so do not be afraid to ask.