To think after school club straight away when DD joins school is too much?

[Sadmadsleepy]

DD is starting in reception at a local infants school this September. Currently, she attends her preschool 4 days a week and does an after school club two days with others from her preschool.

DH and I are looking at diaries for September to work out juggling jobs around childcare. I think she should just attend her normal school hours for at least the first few weeks and that throwing in after school club early on us a bit much for her. This will of course impact on work schedules.

For context;
-DH is self employed and we will loose money when he has to finish early. I have a fairly full on job. Might be able to negotiate a little flexibility.
-The after school club at DDs new school is run in the junior school next door.
-DD is the only one joining her school from her preschool so will not have friends initially, and will certainly not know anyone in after school club.

YABU - it is what it is, if she needs to go to after school club for childcare, she’ll be fine.
YANBU - that’s all too much!!

Holding off a few weeks isn't going to help her make friends in ASC. send her from the start and she'll make friends there. Otherwise she'll start after they've bonded

Mine did after school clubs 3 days a week, from the week she started reception (extracurricular rather than childcare, and until 4.20 rather than 6pm for the after school childcare). She was tired for the first term, but did love the activities and made friends quickly. For us it wasn't even to allow me to work as I'm a sahm, but I wanted her to have the chance to do all the clubs that were available to her year group, and it gave me an extra hour to run errands and have appointments.

My summer born DS went to ASC 4 nighys a week til 5.15pm from week 2 (was only attending mornings for week 1). He was absolutely fine & really enjoys going - especially as he now has friends in year 1 & 2 too.

Two of his friends who don't go to ASC (& whose parents have had to massively juggle work & get family members to do pick up etc) are desperate now to go with him as they know how much fun it is - their parents are putting them in a few sessions a week now.

Using out of school provision from Day 1, just means that that is what it means, going to school.
I mean, my preference would be a childminder - potentially alittle less full on, and more easily able to be flexible and respond to how your dd is coping.

The other popular alternative around here is that most of the Nurseries run out of school provision too - so is that a possibility for you ? You might feel it is less of a "going off to big school" as moving into the Junior School building is.

This!

Everyone who did asc from the start, did your school not do a settling in period? We had a week of 2 hours a day, a week of mornings only, then a 3 day week, so it wasn't until week 4 that she was properly there at the time to do asc.

Luckily we're in a school with lots of afterschool provision, so we had no trouble getting a space and lots of her classmates go too. She always knows someone there, even if we switch days. It took a week or two for her to settle in, then she's spent the rest of the year begging me to pick her up later so she has more time with her friends!

My eldest was in nursery 3 full day, when she started reception I was on mat leave so she didn't start BF or after school club til the Easter. Not she absolutely loves it, she's 6 now and even asks to go on days I'm not working!

So it's made me feel better about sending my youngest earlier. In fact I'm thinking about sending her to the school nursery so she'll be doing 3 days after school club from 3.5

No, full time from day 1 at our school!

My daughter did afterschool club during her induction week when she was on afternoons.

I had to work.

It’s very natural to feel anxious but it has a fair chance of being fine.

Try not to push it to 1 minute before closing time to pick up until dc is settled

My dd’s ASC was in the attached junior school and worth noting the following - find out if yours has the same:

• Kids split in two groups by age to avoid it all getting too overwhelming /boisterous for the little ones
• ASC has a “quiet corner” with cushions and a soft rug for kids who want to curl up and rest.
• ASC assigns an older buddy to the new little ones - my dd now in y7 is still friends with a y5 buddy she made this way.

Remember kids make friends very easily at this age and a lot of activities will be either organised group games (eg duck, duck, goose ) or play that can easily be side-by-side as well as cooperative (eg games from the cupboard like a big box of sticklebricks) or quiet activities (eg drawing, homework corner, reading picture books etc)

I agree with another PP, send her there at the start for her to have. Aligner chance of making friends.

DS started ASC (and breakfast club) in reception right away and he liked socialising with the older children. There were a couple of older children that looked out for him.

Now DS is in year 1, he has formed friendships based on who goes to ASC in his class. The 3 of them now actually have asked us parents if they can go every day to ASC so they can play more.

DT’s did breakfast and after school club as soon as they started reception. Highlight of their day and major complaints if we collected them early and shortened their playing time with new friends.

My DD started reception 2 weeks after her 4th birthday. Up until then she’d been at nursery for 4 days a week. She started breakfast and ASC on the first full day she had at school and goes 5 days a week. She loves it and it’s not really any different to the long days at nursery.

How many spaces do they have? My son did after school club from day one, a lot of the parents who waited a few weeks were the ones who discovered it was full, so had to use a childminder instead.

How sad...

My granddaughter[ in Canada ] started school at 4 after being in a different day care. She knew no one at the school [ junior kindy ] at the time. She started after school care the same day as she started school and has been absolutely fine. She has really enjoyed school and after school care.
Children are far more resilient than we give them credit for and mostly manage really well.

It’s not the friendless bit you need to worry about but the tiredness. Just make sure weekends are very quiet and low-key with early bedtimes. No taking her out on exciting trips or across the country to see relatives or she will become overwhelmed.

If she gets used to coming home at pick up it’ll be much harder to then start asc I would think.

Mine started asc when they started school and loved it. The provision isn’t amazing IMO but my kids really enjoy it

My son started after school club straight away in Reception and coped absolutely fine - although he had also been at nursery 3 days a week and was used to longish days. He loved it and had a brilliant time. I think it depends on tbe child. My son hardly ever gets tired, but maybe for some children it might be too much.

Both of mine did it from day 1 and it was fine. They never knew anything else so it was just normal for them, Afterschool club is just a snack and then playing, they love it there and I usually have to drag them away.

What’s sad about that? It’s perfectly normal for kids to try out different clubs after school.

Ime after school club is a great way to make friends beyond the class and they get to know kids in other years

It's a big change, it's unusual for children to really be in wraparound and school until more like 7. It's hugely different to a school class, children up to 11, little staff, little structure so kids can relax but not ideal for the youngest ones, they get lost in the mix

Start as you mean to go on. She'll be fine.

How many days? We managed to go just two days for the first term with family help then increased it.