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Press Release
School-Age Child Care is More Than Just
an After-School Program . . .
School-age child care serves working families whose very survival depends on the availability of good care for their very young children not just for two or three hours after school but also for all the days that schools are closed. For years now, ACS school-age child care has been successfully serving close to 10,000 young children in high quality centers specifically designed for them. They offer:
  • An environment that is safe, comfortable and nurturing. Children can change into play clothes, then have a light nutritious meal
  • Pick-ups from local schools. Children are safely escorted from school to the day care center
  • One-stop child care and long-term continuity of care for families that have both pre-school and school-age children
  • Three hours of care on school days, and full day care with hot meals on all school holidays and during winter and spring breaks and summer vacation
  • Caring, resourceful, specially trained staff with years of experience
  • A program suited to the developmental needs of young children, in rooms set up for creative play and enriched learning, in structured activities and activities directed by the children themselves
  • Opportunities for creative and artistic exploration that help children develop talents in many areas
  • Skill building and individual assistance based on their school progress
  • Opportunities for outdoor play, physical development and recreation
  • Development of positive social attitudes and self confidence
  • Local visits and field trips that enrich children’s understanding of their community
  • Special summer programming that can include gardening, swimming and always includes park visits, trips and use of community resources.

    For many young children, school-age care in community-sponsored centers has become “a home away from home." Closing down these year-round centers designed for young children and replacing them with after-school programs housed in public school classrooms would be a terrible waste and a giant step backwards for our city.

    Quality after-school activities are sorely needed for older elementary and middle school children but youth services programs are not geared to the needs of children in the early grades. The Promising Practices supported by The After School Corporation and other successful programs.