We could do aftercare at the school now, but it consists of sitting in the cafeteria reading a book while the kids around you shriek. I suspect she'd have a better opportunity to learn if she were doing just about anything else, including sitting in her usual classroom.
I haven't read the whole thread, but this comment resonated with me. That's about what before and afterschool care looks like here as well. Dd10 hates it when she has to go. From what I've seen, our schools do not excel in enrichment or downtime activities. I expect that my kids would be much happier with shorter days and downtime at home than longer days with more downtime at school built in.
As Dottie mentioned on the first page, there would have to be some serious funding changes in order to
add anything on at our schools. Our local district cut $12 million dollars out of their operating budget this year and has now been asked to give back another something like $14 million to the state due to state deficits. There is some temporary funding that will cover the amount they need to "give back" for this year, but they are in serious budget trouble. We also have three ballot initiatives being voted on that would further reduce the district budget by $50 million/year. That is over 25% of their total budget.
As far as the concept of year around school, I do think that it would be a lot easier as a working parent, but I don't think that it would benefit my children educationally or otherwise.
