Working Moms

s/o what's your plan for afterschool care for when your kids are older?

For now, I am planning on my ILs helping us out.  They watch DD and DS after preschool 4 days a week, so hopefully that will continue.  If not, I  plan on getting a babysitter for the afternoons and changing my schedule so that I am home earlier.  For some reason, I feel really strongly about my kids coming home after school vs. going to latch key care. 
DS1 age 7, DD age 5 and DS2 born 4/3/12

Re: s/o what's your plan for afterschool care for when your kids are older?

  • I will probably tweak my hours to mirror the school hours so I'll be home most days and we'll have a nanny/housekeeper to help as well. 
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  • imageshouldbworkin:
    For some reason, I feel really strongly about my kids coming home after school vs. going to latch key care. 
    Latch key IS coming home - but to no one.  No sitter, no mom! 

     

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  • imageEastCoastBride:

    imageshouldbworkin:
    For some reason, I feel really strongly about my kids coming home after school vs. going to latch key care. 
    Latch key IS coming home - but to no one.  No sitter, no mom! 

     

    I've always seen the term "latch key care" used for after school care for latch key kids, I guess.  Around here it's called prime time care, as in care provided in school after hours.  I didn't want to use that term b/c I don't think it's widely used.   What I meant was, I want my kids to come home and for someone to be there for them, if I can't be, vs. staying at school late.

    DS1 age 7, DD age 5 and DS2 born 4/3/12
  • imageshouldbworkin:

    I've always seen the term "latch key care" used for after school care for latch key kids, I guess.  Around here it's called prime time care, as in care provided in school after hours.  I didn't want to use that term b/c I don't think it's widely used.   What I meant was, I want my kids to come home and for someone to be there for them, if I can't be, vs. staying at school late.

    That's actually interesting.  I was a "latch key kid", which meant I had a key to the house and I'd go home and let myself in and take care of myself until my parents got home.

    But this obviously wasn't until I was in middle school at a minimum.  We had a sitter after school when I was younger.

    "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
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  • I am a teacher and dd will be going to the school 2 blocks from me. So she'll just have to wait about 2 minutes for me to pick her up
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  • We don't have any family nearby, so I guess our options are:

    1) staggering our work hours so one of us is home

    2) after school program (our current daycare has a nice program)

    3) maybe we can make arrangements for DS to go to a friend's house after school or something, hard to say when it's so far in the future

    When I was around 12 and my brother was 10 we started coming home from school by ourselves.  We were really responsible so I wouldn't hesitate to do the same at an appropriate point in time.  Before that we would go to friends' houses, after school care, or mom was home.  We did all those things at one point.

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  • imageLaLaSweets:
    I am a teacher and dd will be going to the school 2 blocks from me. So she'll just have to wait about 2 minutes for me to pick her up

    that is great!  I wish I had a set up like that.  I consider myself pretty lucky that the elementary school gets out at 4 pm, though.  If I tweak my hours a little, I won't miss much in the afternoons. 

    DS1 age 7, DD age 5 and DS2 born 4/3/12
  • Ideally, I would like to go down to PT and just work during school hours... we shall see how that works out.  Luckily, we have a few years before having to think about that!
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  • I have two options my best friend who watches him now can pick him up after school or the after school care for an hour.  We have a great after school care, where they do crafts, games, snacks and whatnot. But really haven't given it a thought since we have some time.

  • They will go to afterschool care. I was a latch-key kid from the 2cnd grade amd I turned out fine. I think that is illegal now. So after-school care is the next best option.
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  • We plan to work out a way for one of us to be home (DH will almost certainly go back part time after the kids are in school, so that may work out, or depending on the hours and my job, I may be able to arrange an early in/early out type thing).  I was a latch-key kid from pretty early on, and we'd rather avoid it until they are a bit older and have after school activities without us.

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  • My mom worked part time for a few yrs while I was in elementary school.  I went to an after care program at my elementary school on those days.  I liked it.
  • If I am fortunate enough to still have my current job/work from home situation, this will not be an issue - would have to think about it further if I will be working outside of the home.
  • PreK through 5th grade, my girls will be in before and after care.  School does not start until between 9 something.  They would only be in after for around 30 mins give or take based on traffic so the morning will be the longer stretch since they start so late.  Not sure how we'll handle it once we hit 6th grade.  Right now we are out of district so no bus service.  It will work out fine if we are able to move between now and then which is the goal but with the economy not happening anytime soon and DH and I will adjust schedules or find a sitter for morning or afternoon based on our needs and any after school acitivites the kids have.  If we don't move and have to keep driving the kids, it will be more of an issue - at least until they get to drive themselves.
    Jenni Mom to DD#1 - 6-16-06 DD#2 - 3-13-08 
  • Right now, I am working every weekend to accomodate school/preschool dropoff and pickup times.

    Our "goal" plan is once DS #2 hits kindergarten (fall 2012) and they are both in the same school is to use SAC (school age childcare) in the morning, when I am driving home from work. DH will drop them off in the am on his way to work, and I will have to be up by the time they get off the bus (3:45 pm), which is fine as long as I work nights.

    If I switch back to days (7am-7pm), we would use SAC for one hour in the morning and 30 minutes after school on the days I work, so maybe 1-2 times a week?

  • DH is planning on changing his hours so that he will be home about 30-45 minutes after school ends. DD will be in the afterschool program at that time, but the one run by the public schools has over a year-long wait list, I am not sure how to get her on the list when the time comes.
  • With my stepson, we took advantage of the after school care they offer at school.  When he got older, he was a latch key kid for a couple of months of the year but when sports were in session, he was usually doing that after school and we'd pick him up from there.

    With my dd, I now work from home so when she goes to school full-time next year, I'll have her ride the bus home.  It drops off at 4:00 in front of my house so it will be easy to have her come home, give her a snack and some TV and finish up my work day.

  • I am extremely fortunate in this area as I am a teacher at a preschool - 8th grade school. DD will hang out with me after school.
  • imageSpenjamins:
    They will go to afterschool care. I was a latch-key kid from the 2cnd grade amd I turned out fine. I think that is illegal now. So after-school care is the next best option.

    LOL, my mom went back to work when I was in 2nd grade, and being the drama queen that I was, I made it like I was a latch key kid to everyone, but really my mom paid the mom of my BFF down the street to watch me every day after school.

  • Fortunately, we have a few years to figure this out since our current daycare provides before/after care for kindergartners.  But, I'm hoping that by that time, I can work PT while the kiddos are in school.  We'll see if that happens!
  • I get home at 3:30, I will probably try to start a 1/2 hr earlier so that I can get him off the bus around 3.
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