the Price of a Week of After School Daycare

Kids ride the bus to daycare after school. At least one of the caretakers waits at the stop and makes sure all kids are safely walked to the building. There they are given a snack and allowed to play, do homework, or watch a movie while waiting for parents to come pick them up.

Daycare is a wonderful opportunities for children to develop social skills and to help parents be able to work full-time without worrying so much about the well-being of their children. The daycare my daughter goes to will keep kids as late as 6pm. That is plenty of time for me to swing by the house and start a few things before picking up my daughter. If I could change two things about my daughter's daycare, I would like to see more organized activities and more snack choices. (they are usually just given 1 choice - half the time it is something my daughter either doesn't like) But I still see it as a wonderful value.

One of the most important thing when choosing a daycare is to go visit them ahead of time - once in the day so that you can sit and have a calm talk and once after school to see if they truly have a handle and close eye on the kids or just let them run wild. You should also consider how well their hours work with yours. Don't forget to ask what happens if you are late. Many daycares charge a fee such as $1 per minute, but I heard of a few that call CPS. And find out what kind of activities and snacks they offer. Don't be afraid to let someone know if you don't want your child participating or if you would rather send her a different snack.