Are You Raising Latchkey Kids? After School Care Programs Might Help

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Are you raising a latchkey kid? In other words, are your children home alone after school until you can get out of work? Not only is this dangerous for young children, even if they’re left at home with an older teenage sibling, but it’s also illegal to leave kids on their own. Unfortunately, many parents are willing to take these risks due to the high costs of child care, and their children are often left undisciplined as a result.

Fortunately, there are other ways for children to receive guidance preschool.com/programs/day-care-pembroke-pines-fl-miramar-day-care/” Title=”Find more information related to Full time preschool”>after school rather than leaving them unsupervised. After school care programs, including those through schools and day care centers, can provide children assistance with homework, healthy snacks, and the ability to learn through play with their peers — all in a safe environment.

The benefits of after school care programs are numerous, including:

  • Safety: Leaving your children home alone can present them with a number of dangers. They could injure themselves or, if they’re not in a safe environment, get hurt or hurt someone else. Leaving your kids in the care of an after school program, however, gives them the chance to stay someplace supervised, so they don’t risk injury and other harm to themselves or another person.
  • Homework Help: Leaving your children home alone means that they may struggle through their homework assignments or even risk not doing them at all. As a parent, you may not be available for help due to your work schedule, so an after school program give the kids the chance to get assistance with their assignments.
  • Playtime with Peers: As children grow and develop intellectually, they should receive the chance to interact with their peers. This not only helps kids socially but academically, too. Getting the chance to create visual art, act out a play, or use musical instruments and sing can also give kids a social and academic advantage. Children who study art and music and incorporate them into their playtime are four times as likely to win an award for academic achievement and three times as likely to receive recognition for school attendance.

Are you thinking of enrolling your children in an after school care program? Be sure to contact one in your area. Meet with the staff members, observe the classes, and let your child experience the programs firsthand. Then you can make a decision about which one will be right for your child.