Out of School Care and Recreation (OSCAR), or more commonly known as “After School Care”, provides childcare for children whose parents’ work schedule conflicts with the child’s school schedule. It is offered by qualified individuals (such as teachers), companies, community centers, and sometimes even by the school itself.
After school care supervises the child’s safety and involves them in educational and/or social activities until the parents can pick them up. As such, after-school care is as beneficial the child as it is to the parents, and perhaps even more so. So if your child is at Salt Lake City and your workplace is at Perry, that time your child spends in after-school care while you travel back home to pick them up could contribute a lot to their growth.
However, a lot of parents feel bad for leaving their child in after school care. Here are the benefits of enrolling your child in after-school care that would help you realize why you shouldn’t feel guilty for doing so:
Safety
Perhaps the most important benefit to after-school care is ensuring that the child is safe and supervised. Having a child left unsupervised at home after school makes them prone to all kinds of accidents. And having a child wait outside school for a long time while you travel exposes them to bigger risks. After school care not only keeps the child safe but would be able to provide a quick response in case of an emergency (such as an allergic reaction or any sudden medical condition).
Social Skill Development and Emotional Stability
Having a child wait alone or go home to an empty house could be harmful to his emotional and mental health (on top of physical risks), and may even affect his social skills. Children in after-school care would have more time to interact and play with other children, as well as the facilitating staff. Allowing the child more social time would help them develop their people skills and build healthy relationships. Qualified staff may even be able to work on any communication and behavioral issues.
Homework Help, Crafts, Playtime
Most after-school care facilities and services offer homework help for children, and some even offer craft activities such as acting, painting/drawing, writing, or singing. Homework helps facilitates further learning for the child, and crafts allow children to learn new things, use their imagination, and may even discover new skills and talents. Playtime allows children to be more physically active and healthy, which is quite a benefit when the alternative is to have them wait at home watching TV.
Pickup and Drop-off
Some after school care facilities even offer to pick up children from their school, as well as dropping off the children at their home.
So the next time you’re feeling bad about putting your child in after-school care: don’t be. You’re working hard for them, and you care enough to enroll them into after-school care. After school care can help your child grow and keep them safe while you’re away, and you should never feel guilty about that.
