What are After School Programs?

Whereas schooling is an imperative part of the psychosocial and cognitive development of the children, the impact of the after school programs also helps in providing additional support to the children, and helps improve social skills of the children.

In most cases, many children suffer from variety of learning disabilities, which can interfere with their learning process, and it is impossible for them to receive individual emphasis on each child in the school environment (David & Weinstein, 2013).

However, the after school learning programs for children can provided them with the extra emphasis, support and assistance, which in turn can help them overcome any challenges successfully. Along with that after school programs also improve cognitive and social skills of the children helping them feel more confident and improve their engaging abilities.

This brochure will attempt to highlight different after school programs for the children and how it may help them overcome any notable learning disability, boost their confidence, and enhance their academic skills drastically along with discussing the parental input and family based strategies help in improving the condition for the students (Tétreault et al., 2014).

In this section the first activity carried out will be discussing the what after school programs are:

01	After school programs can be identifeid as any organized activity in which the children can participate in extrenal to their traditional school hours.
02	Certain after school programs are designed by the primary or secondary school authority, but most of the after school programs are designed by the not for profit organizations or privatized organizations ().
03	The after school activities are also considered to be the cornerstone, an integrated parenting style which helps children gain leadership attributes and social skills.
04	Research also states that after school activities also help in improving the externalizing behavior, academic performance, compliance to rules and disciple, and lastly, school attendance as well (Tétreault et al., 2014).

 

Types Of After School Programs For School Aged Children:

There are various different types of after school programs which address a range of different issues or challenges faced by the children. Few examples include:

• Before-after school programs are extremely popular in Toronto, Ontario, and most of the opportunities are located at or around Toronto (Vanderloo et al., 2013).
• There are three main types:  Licensed Childcare, Extended Day Programs operated directly by the school boards, and Authorized recreation programs.
• The school aged children are the most suitable for the last two types of before-after school care programs.
• Ca is a after school initiative for the school aged children which incorporates a varied range of after school learning and sports activities that helps children grow and explore outside of their classrooms (Camps.ca, 2019).
• Ontario has another government funded after school program that runs between 3 to 6 pm, providing quality programs for children and youth in priority neighborhoods across the province.
• Toronto district school board or TDSB also provides a range of before/after school programs for school aged children (Tdsb.on.ca, 2019).
• Upper Canada childcare provides opportunity of both before and after school programs for the children that are in school (Uppercanadachildcare.com, 2019).
• London Children’s Connection in Ontario also provides game based learning programs in the before after school activity format (Lcc.on.ca, 2019).

There are various options available in Ontario as before after school programs, and hence choosing one can be tough, but we are here to help the parents make the right choice:

Range of services each organization is providing:

• As can be derived from the name itself, Camps.Ca, is more focused on providing camping experiences for the children, animal camps, wilderness camping trips, LEGO camps, magic camps, and many sports competitions and tournaments for the children to connect to outdoor activities (Camps.ca, 2019).
• The TDSB is popular for its extended day programs, where Registered Early Childhood Educators provide play based learning programs for the children to improve their social and cognitive skills , also a cost effective program (Tdsb.on.ca, 2019).
• London’s childcare connection Ontario, is associated with providing a thorough before after school program, Licensed by the Ministry of Education and Endorsed by Local School Boards; the children Kindergarten to 12 years of age enjoy gamed based building relationships and improving cognitive skills (Lcc.on.ca, 2019).
• Upper Canada childcare provides a range of before and after school programs, for the children aged 6 to 12, including sports, arts, crafts, and games, along with a quiet area for homework (Uppercanadachildcare.com, 2019)

The quality indicators are the attributes or characters that indicate at the effectiveness or efficiency of the program and whether it is worth being chosen.

The first quality indicator is the registration or legal endorsement that the organization must have for it to be a certified facility, a reliable and authentic service delivery scenario.

The second quality indicator is the annual reports or performance graph of the facility to judge the kind of performance exhibited by the facility (Mtc.gov.on.ca, 2019).

The education qualification and registration certificates of the staff working in the facility is also an important indicator which will indicate at the quality and safety of the programs.

The last and most importance quality indicator will be the consumer review which will provide key information regarding whether or not the organization is providing everything that it is promising (Youth.gov, 2019).

How After School Programs Help Children with Learning Disabilities

The complaint reviews and social or digital media reports can also help the parents make the right choice between the arrays of options.

Although, even though with an array of quality indicators helping the parents realize the exact nature of services suitable for their children, it is always advisable to consult a child care expert and follow their outline of services required and then choose a final option for children with any learning challenge or social connectivity issues (Tétreault et al., 2014).

Camp.ca is providing a range of outdoor activities, allowing the children to connect with their environment, an opportunity the children miss out on these days	London’s children connection also provides game based learning opportunities, also focusing on building relationships, helping the children with lack of confidence and social skills build positive personality and confidence
TDSB is providing game based learning, best suitable for children with attention deficit or are bored of classroom teaching	Upper Canada childcare provides the most, sports, arts, crafts, and games, both outdoor and indoor, with a quiet place for homework!!! Undoubtedly the best choice according to us!!!!

Additional resources:

We understand that every child is different and their needs also differ drastically.

We have tried to clear as many doubts with this informative brochure to clarify any doubts that the families may have while choosing a single activity for their child.

Yet, for troubled families and children with specific needs, the best recommendation from our end is to visit a child counsellor or family therapist.

The cornerstone childcare Inc. located at Windsor provides a range of services for the families to help with the decision making.

Mareas therapeutic services can located at Stoney Creek also provide family coaching and consultation services for choosing the right services according to the specific needs of the children.

Lastly for any consultation without added costs, you can always visit or reach out to Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care, a government initiative for troubled families and children (Mtc.gov.on.ca, 2019).

We conclude with the hopes of parents making informed decisions regarding the physical and psychosocial development of their children, choosing a before-after school program, that is JUST RIGHT FOR THEM.

References:

Camps.ca (2019). After-School Programs. [online] Camps.ca. Available at: https://www.camps.ca/programs.php [Accessed 13 Feb. 2019].

David, T. G., & Weinstein, C. S. (Eds.). (2013). Spaces for children: The built environment and child development. Springer Science & Business Media.

Lcc.on.ca. (2019). School Age Program | London Children’s Connection – Canada. [online] Available at: https://lcc.on.ca/child-care-programs/school-age-program [Accessed 13 Feb. 2019].

Mtc.gov.on.ca. (2019). After School Program. [online] Available at: https://www.mtc.gov.on.ca/en/sport/afterschool/after_school.shtml [Accessed 13 Feb. 2019].

Tdsb.on.ca. (2019). TDSB Weather Alert. [online] Available at: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/EarlyYears/Child-Care/Before-and-After-School-Program [Accessed 13 Feb. 2019].

Tétreault, S., Blais?Michaud, S., Marier Deschênes, P., Beaupré, P., Gascon, H., Boucher, N., & Carrière, M. (2014). How to support families of children with disabilities? An exploratory study of social support services. Child & Family Social Work, 19(3), 272-281.

Toronto.ca (2019). Before-After School Programs. [online] City of Toronto. Available at: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/children-parenting/children-programs-activities/before-after-school-programs/ [Accessed 13 Feb. 2019].

Uppercanadachildcare.com. (2019). Programs | Upper Canada Child Care. [online] Available at: https://www.uppercanadachildcare.com/programs/ [Accessed 13 Feb. 2019].

Vanderloo, L. M., Tucker, P., Johnson, A. M., & Holmes, J. D. (2013). Physical activity among preschoolers during indoor and outdoor childcare play periods. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 38(11), 1173-1175.

Youth.gov. (2019). Afterschool Programs | Youth.gov. [online] Available at: https://youth.gov/youth-topics/afterschool-programs [Accessed 13 Feb. 2019].