How to start a before and after school care: 6 Key Steps to Starting an After-School Program

6 Key Steps to Starting an After-School Program

• Business
• Employees
• Security

Starting a successful after-school program offers an important service to working parents and their children. A high-quality after-school program provides a safe, nurturing environment for school age children by offering activities and homework help while fostering safe social interactions. To start a successful after-school program, you’ll need strategies and tools including these six steps for getting started:

1. Secure a Designated Space

When choosing the location for your after-school program, keep travel and convenience in mind. Consider securing a location that’s close to the school system where prospective students are enrolled and conveniently accessible to parents. Affordable options include schools, local libraries, churches, or recreation centers.

2. Create a Business Plan

Make sure that you do your homework. Research the market you’re entering, including competing after-school programs and their curriculum. This will give you a foundation in order to build a business plan based on the community’s needs. Local parents can be a great resource for ideas and information about what they value in an after-school program.

 3. Build Curriculum

You’ll need to create a diverse set of curriculum options to appeal to different age-groups, including academic and recreational enrichment activities. Start with the basics like art, music, math, and science. You can then supplement with homework help, recreational activities and plenty of free time to let the kids in your care burn off steam as needed. Parents also value enhanced and differentiated programs such as martial arts, foreign languages, cooking classes and STEM activities. Unique class offerings can differentiate your after-school program from competitors.

4. Hire Qualified Staff

Hiring qualified and passionate staff is critical to help parents feel confident that their child is receiving outstanding care as well as help you build and maintain enrollment.  As you search for educators for your program, consider targeting teachers and other staff at elementary schools who may be seeking additional after-hours work.  Since many of these individuals already have relationships with local families and they are already employed in schools, you can be confident they’ll greatly enhance your enrichment program. You will also need to ensure your after-school program is properly licensed and satisfies regulations. These may vary from state to state, so research the specific requirements for your state. For example, you must comply with student-to-teacher ratios, and any program not run by a school or school district, or that cares for seven or more children under the age of 13, must obtain a school-age child care (SACC) license.

 5. Utilize Technology to Simplify Processes  

Operating a successful after-school program requires juggling many responsibilities that often compromise your primary focus of caring for students. Utilizing after-school management software simplifies time-consuming tasks such as collecting tuition, registering children, managing wait lists, processing employee time cards, and tracking attendance. By simplifying operations with after-school management software, your staff can focus on fostering a caring environment that promotes students’ growth, rather than worrying about paperwork and administrative tasks.

 6. Maintain a Safe and Secure Environment

After-school programs are meant to provide a secure place for children when school is not in session so ensuring your students’ safety is priority number one. Security solutions such as keyless entry, secure door controllers, and fingerprint pads for electronic check-in help prevent unauthorized entry. They also help you monitor which individuals entered secure areas so you can take appropriate measures to tighten security controls if necessary.

According to The Afterschool Alliance, “Support for afterschool is overwhelming and demand is growing. Nationwide, 9 in 10 adults say afterschool programs are important to their community—and more than 19 million kids are waiting to get in”

Starting an after-school program doesn’t need to be overwhelming. By following the 6 steps, you can create a realistic plan that leads to business success. 

Want to utilize these 6 steps and more? Procare makes it easy. Get started today so your focus can remain on creating the best environement possible.

Request a demo and connect with the most experienced solutions team in the child care business. We’ll help you find the right solution for your center.

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How to Start & Run a Successful Afterschool Program

Afterschool programs not only provide children with enriching activities and structure once the school day has ended, but they also enable families to maintain normal workdays. The average workday is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Most school days end around 3 p.m., and sometimes much earlier. This two-hour gap creates a significant demand for child care, which afterschool programs have met.

As the American workforce continues to grow, the demand for afterschool programs will too. Understanding the best practices of running an afterschool program is essential, whether you are a professional looking to start your own afterschool program or a seasoned expert with an established program. This guide will answer the question of how to run a successful afterschool program, including everything from founding to daily operations. Let’s dive in!

Starting an Afterschool Program

Starting an afterschool program is the dream of many young child care professionals. It can also be a profitable venture for a daycare director. However, it’s a move that requires a lot of thought and planning. Having a solid foundation will enable you to make an informed decision on the matter.

1. Conducting Research

The first stage of starting an afterschool program is determining whether it’s a feasible venture. Child care is indeed an essential service, but that doesn’t mean it will always be profitable. Many other factors will influence the success of your afterschool program. Here’s everything to research before starting an afterschool program.

• • Is there a demand for an afterschool program in the area?
  • What commercial space is available to house an afterschool program?
  • How will you staff your afterschool program? (i.e., are there enough child care professionals in the area?)
  • Can you work with local businesses to offer collaborative services?
  • How large is the school district?
  • Can you offer something unique in your afterschool program? (Ie. Bilingual homework tutors, computer programming classes, etc.)

Ideally, your afterschool program will fulfill a significant childcare demand in the area and offer a unique edge over current competition. If you fulfill all these requirements, you’ll have a solid foundation to launch from.

2. Planning Your Afterschool Program

Once you are confident in your afterschool program’s chances of success, you can move forward with the project. Now is the time to begin planning the key components of your program. This can also serve as a starter for your business plan or proposal that you may share with private and public investors. Here are some details to attend to during this stage.

• • Core values, mission or objective statement.
  • Program design, including staffing, location, administration, transportation and more.
  • Curriculum.
  • Policies and procedures.
  • Legalities (licensing, insurance, reporting and more).

3. Budgeting

Handling the startup costs of any business is challenging. With a strict and accurate budget, you can ensure that your afterschool program enjoys continued success in the long-term. If you already have a daycare, adding an afterschool program won’t be as expensive as someone starting from scratch. However, you’ll need to create a budget, as well.

To ensure that your budget is accurate, you’ll need to research the startup costs related to your business, many of which will vary by location. Here are some startup costs to consider:

Don’t forget to find an answer to the question, “How much does it cost to run an afterschool program.” Don’t just focus on startup costs. The daily related operating costs shouldn’t be overlooked. Here’ are some operating costs to budget for:

• • Hiring.
  • Salaries.
  • Materials.
  • Insurance.
  • Maintenance.
  • Transportation.
  • Third-party vendors and services.

Run a Successful Afterschool Program

Starting a successful afterschool program is hard, but managing one is an even more challenging task. Fortunately, there are a few very simple tips that will ensure your afterschool program’s success.

Establish Strong Policies

These guiding principles and protocols are the foundation of any successful afterschool program. Being proactive when it comes to addressing the potential situations that arise when running an afterschool program can help you avoid costly missteps in the future.

Be sure that all staff is provided with a copy of the afterschool program’s policies and procedures. It’s essential all staff are aware of these policies, so be sure to hold regular meetings to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Provide Ongoing Training

Child care best practices are consistently evolving. You and your staff need to keep up with new trends and supporting research to ensure you provide the best care.

Don’t grow stagnant and fall behind the competition. You’ll need to ensure that staff feels empowered and encouraged to continue their training and education. Not only does this provide a competitive edge for your afterschool program, but it means you’ll be employing experts in the field. Consider offering benefits, such as bonuses for staff who complete training programs or gain advanced child care degrees.

Prioritize Communication

Communication is the key to success for any collaborative project, and nothing requires a more collaborative effort than providing child care. An afterschool program works in collaboration with a child’s school staff, family, coaches and more to provide the best care possible. Keeping the lines of communication open between all parties can ensure the child benefits from consistent care.

Your staffing can help you achieve effective communication. Hiring an experienced front office manager and secretary can ensure all communication is promptly addressed.

As the founder of an afterschool program, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by all the essential tasks and duties that come with managing a program. That’s why an efficient and powerful child care management system is vital to your afterschool program’s success.

The right child care management software can support your business’s success by streamlining all the administrative tasks of an afterschool program.

Vanco’s Smartcare software is one of the leading child care management software systems. Everything from scheduling staff to managing payments from parents is easy with the Vanco’s Smartcare.

Explore the advantages of Vanco’s Smartcare Platform. Request a demo today!

Discover the Secrets for Simpler Afterschool Program Management!

Download our free eBook with expert tips that will not only help you improve your afterschool program, but show you how to simplify its management, so you and your team can enjoy a much needed breather. 

5 simple ideas – Magazine 100sp

The first bell in the new school year rang, the first yellow leaf fell from the maple tree under the windows – you heard the first “I don’t want to” waking the child to school. The beginning of the school year is not easy for both children and parents. After a carefree summer with a river, volleyball, hiking in the forest and trips to the countryside and the sea, urban autumn is not so rich in entertainment. And rest is especially necessary for children in the first weeks of the school year, when adaptation to the new daily routine takes place. The weather in September also most often contributes to active and healthy recreation. So how to entertain a child after school at the beginning of the school year?

1. Walks

Golden autumn is one of the most beautiful times of the year when you can just walk in the forest or park and enjoy the beauty of nature. We combine the useful and the pleasant: for sure, your child has already been asked to make crafts from “natural materials”, write an essay on the topic “Golden Autumn” or collect a herbarium. You have a great opportunity to relax with the whole family and prepare homework together. Feel free to read poetry while walking along the autumn boulevards, turn on your favorite music, teach your child to enjoy life, and not fall into the annual autumn blues.

Select hoverboard

2. More movement

Holidays are constant movement, outdoor play from morning to evening. Don’t slow down. If the child does not attend the sports section, then it’s time to choose it or start playing sports together. Swimming pools, tennis courts, skating rinks and rollerdromes – all this will help you have fun in your free time, and you will feel like a sports family.

Watch videos

3. Going to the theater

Autumn is the beginning of the theater season. Many theaters open it with a premiere: why don’t you become avid theater-goers. There are also many new and interesting films in cinemas that you should definitely see.

4. Evening at home

Rain outside the window is an excellent occasion for a cozy family evening. To get started, cook something tasty all together, because children are great cooks. And then you can play Monopoly with the whole family, assemble a puzzle with several thousand pieces, watch your favorite movie, play a video game or arrange a family photo archive viewing.

Building blocks and puzzles

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How to leave school and transfer your child to remote work / Habr

Hi, Habr!

The other day my daughter finished 6th grade completely remotely. Several of my friends immediately asked for feedback, because they are also thinking about transferring children to a similar format of education.

The pandemic has made adjustments to the familiar and long-obsolete learning process in a modern (consider still Soviet) school. And many GBOU (well, a word) were completely unprepared for this. Attempts to organize some lessons on Skype, zoom failed miserably and the children were simply sent home to study at the discretion of their parents.

Many of my friends, who a year ago twisted their fingers to their temples when I transferred their child to a remote location, began to wonder if the devil is so terrible.

Let me tell you…

Background

It would probably be right to start with my school. It is she who will cause her daughter to leave for remote education.

I finished school in 2003 and was one of the first victims of the USE. But I’m very lucky. I studied at a small physics and mathematics school in a residential area in Samara. But we had really great teachers. I still remember with warmth most of them, thanks to them most of our class entered the best universities. But for what I loved them most of all – for a calm working atmosphere and a sincere desire for us to become good people, for the fact that they did not disdain alternative textbooks, game forms of learning, and spent their personal time on us.

Perhaps this warm lamp memory led me to be so bombarded by the modern school in all its glory.

Daughters were very lucky with their first teacher. Moderately strict, moderately loving, very fair and wise woman of the old school and hardening.

But with the transition to the 5th grade, my world began to crumble.

Why did we run away

Here are a few factors that were decisive for me when I moved to another school:

1. Complete lack of involvement of teachers in the learning process. By and large, they now do not care what will remain in the minds of the children, what will happen to them next, who they will become. Children for them have turned from a personality into a gray biomass.
   I am now writing and remembering a story when my mathematician came to our house to dissuade me from entering the Police School. Now this is not to be found in 99% of schools.
2. Bureaucracy has become the highest value. The modern teacher has been hung up with so much bureaucratic nonsense that he simply has no motivation for everything else. Filling out electronic diaries for several hours a day, a lot of reporting, and there is neither strength nor desire left for children.
3. Staff turnover and quality. During the year, 4 math books changed in our school. When I realized that I shouldn’t rely on them and that I would have to teach the child mathematics myself, her average score on the OGE trial tests was about 3.3 points, and the holes in the school curriculum were simply huge. The whole class had the same story. In just a couple of weeks, we pulled up mathematics to 5. What 4 teachers did for a whole year – I don’t know.
4. The same stupid and uncompromising physicist. I also have strange memories of physical education and work. Children go to the pool, go to gymnastics, go horseback riding, make hand made sneakers on Youtube.

   But still these stupid standards. Running, rope, goat and all this here. Why can’t you just let your kids play the sport they love? Plus absolutely barbaric methods of conducting lessons. Are you bad? Tired? Run.

5. Treating a child like a person. If you have not learned for some reason, no one gives you the right to make a mistake or correct. Just “2” to the log. Come retake or correct – no one even talks to you. Yes, I also think that you need to learn on time, but sometimes there are really good reasons. We are all human and we can all get tired, get sick. But a child is not a person. Nobody cares.
6. There were other moments that personally burned me. This is bullying by children over each other and some out of the ordinary events, such as jumping from a roof to a dispute, followed by a fracture of the spine of the jumper.

Removal decision

I digested for a long time, looked for some good gymnasium closer, talked with my parents and at some point realized that, by and large, everywhere + is the same. Somewhere cooler core subjects, but this is easily compensated by tutors.

At this stage of training, grades and points are absolutely unimportant to me. It is important for me to maintain a normal creative and creative personality with a stable psyche.

At that time I didn’t think about distance education at all. But somehow we were driving with a partner in a car from a meeting, and he began to tell that for 3 years his children have been studying in the format of a remote school + circles, sections and classes of interest in person.

I heard this from a man with a wonderful education and a very correct approach to life. I studied the topic for a very long time, talked with parents who practice it.

School choice

Finding a school that fully met the needs was not easy.

We discussed with my daughter and chose a few important points for ourselves:

1. Official enrollment in an educational institution. I didn’t want a homeschool dance at my school. This requires a lot of justification, and I read on the forums that some especially gifted schools transmit this information to the guardianship authorities.
2. At least a few days a week face-to-face communication with teachers via Skype/Telegram/Zoom. I wanted to keep normal communications with my mouth. The format of educational videos is certainly good, but still the child needs to learn more and express his thoughts competently and constructively.
3. Reasonable price. Some private gymnasiums and schools offer this type of education to their students. But the price tag there is from 30,000. My comfortable ceiling for the school was 10, so that there was a budget for other circles and hobbies.
4. Interim control of results. In principle, the option with quarters or semesters was quite suitable for us. I wanted to understand where we are going.
5. I would like more interactive , game approach, creative tasks.

Since there are not so many players on this market (I hope not yet), we chose from three:

1. Alexey Bitner School. Many parents on the forums praised her for her creative approach and competent presentation of the material. But they just have some kind of trouble with marketing. I did not succeed in digging out how the training takes place, its systematic nature, textbooks that are taken as a basis, what kind of teachers they work with. All videos are old, although there were new comments on the forums. The work of this school remained a mystery to me, although it was mentioned quite often.
2. Internet lesson. In my opinion, at the moment it is the most modern. Of the advantages – official enrollment, a rather creative training program, manufacturability and a single convenient platform. Of the minuses – the lack of the usual learning process, personal interaction with the teacher. And my braces, although cracked, have not completely cracked at the seams yet.
3. TsODIV. This is the only school that offers part-time education for adequate money. 3 days a week training in Skype groups in the classic lesson format, 2 – for self-study.

We chose option 3. Despite the advantages, there were also disadvantages. I did not like the Skype learning format, the lack of a single environment with materials for the entire class that could be perfectly organized in Teams or Slack.

Process

The process of learning at school was quite simple. 3 times a week lessons of 4-5 in all school subjects plus homework.

The format is very similar to school. At 9 am, the child sits down in front of the screen, calls begin on each subject, changes are 15 minutes long.

There are 6 people in the class, most of them live either outside the city or in warm countries on a permanent basis. Children communicate well with each other and outside the educational process.

Quarters as such are there only to comply with the holiday schedule. Once every 3 months, intermediate grades are set, at the end of the year – final. To receive the final grade, it is mandatory to pass tests in all subjects. The tests are pretty hard. Of the minuses – 1 mistake already deprives you of the right to 5. Which for 20 questions seems to me not very logical, although not critical.

Results

My daughter studied remotely for a year, and after the first enthusiasm and some disappointments, we can already draw certain conclusions, especially against the backdrop of a pandemic.

I really like the psychological state of my daughter. She happily runs to the lessons, communicates with teachers and classmates with pleasure, she likes all subjects, even the previously hated Works and English.

Of the main advantages that the child singled out during the year of study:

1. Good teachers. Very literate, meticulous, explain well, communicate like with adults. They do not particularly stand on ceremony if one of the children goes too far, they are removed from the lesson and they write to their parents.
2. Working on bugs. All errors, problems, misunderstandings are sorted out and worked out.
3. Teachers light up. For example, the art teacher is incredibly cool. Thanks to his incredible charisma, my daughter learned how to draw very well in a year from his lessons and videos on Youtube.
4. Interesting cases and tasks. Constantly some interesting interactive for independent work.
5. Few people in the class. Everyone is friendly, there is no opportunity to poison and offend someone.
6. Comfortable learning format. It is possible to sit in a kigurumi or your favorite anime hoodie rather than a gruesome horror suit without any choice.

This is the main reason for which I transferred the child to remote work. I wanted to show her that studying can be interesting and fun. I wanted her to enjoy the process itself, so that she would not torture herself for the sake of 4 and 5.

We are free to move. You can leave the city at any time or even go to Asia for the winter. You can study from home or from your grandmother.

No need to get into a cold car in the morning, catch a cold, catch the flu and other infections from classmates. These are all nice bonuses, although we did not start all this for their sake.
Of the minuses … it should be noted that any person, even an adult, after a long sitting at home, cognitive and emotional hunger sets in.

This topic is not so relevant for us, because my daughter studies very hard at the theater school. Classes 4 times a week – in Russian and English, the brain boils, emotions over the edge. I do not see the need for additional socialization, especially in a regular school, where there are a lot of inadequate actions of both children and adults.

We bought a dog for more activity. Regular walks 3 times a day and communication with other children dog lovers. More often they began to get out to exhibitions and events, to walk more, to travel more.

I didn’t find any global disadvantages compared to a regular school. And during the pandemic, on the contrary, I appreciated all the advantages. When everyone did homework on self-study and without the help of teachers, the child continued to study at the same pace.

What’s next

Further, the daughter plans to study in the same format, but at 8-9class to seriously strengthen mathematics in order to enter ITMO College. I also think that studying in a modern secondary school up to the 11th grade does not make much sense if there is an opportunity to start getting involved in the profession 2 years earlier.

P.S. Friends, this is my first experience of writing an article of this (personal) format on Habr. I did not have the goal of imposing my point of view on someone, but I thought that my experience might be of interest to readers who ask the same questions.