ASC

[Thruitnow]

I'm very unhappy with the quality of childcareat afterschool club for 4 year olds.

When I went to open days for my daughters primary school, I asked questions about after school club and got good answers. The material I read before going talked about "nutritious snacks" and was very proud that they have not outsourced the care, so it would be consistent with their values. I had wrongly assumed it was teachers running it.

Having started school realised it's really not good and now feel a bit stuck.

The food they feed them is huge amounts of sugar and unhealthy snacks (stuff that the school doesn't allow parents to include in lunch boxes). The kids that attend are 4--11. The "staff" are teenagers and a few elderly people who volunteer. The older people seem good, but there aren't many and they seem exhausted. There's lots of tv and unstructured stuff. It's amazing "value" £8.50 for 3 hours childcare.

Is this normal for ASC?

I'm used to a nice nursery with good quality care - healthy food, stimulating activities, teachers who have some life experience and energy.

I'm looking for other options for after school wrap around care and because most schools do their own, there's not much choice if you don't like your own schools options.

Would you consider changing schools? My daughter is loving the days at school.

AIBU - yes: snob get over it
No: find another option

My options are
1 trying another school (very disruptive) but they might all be like this?
2 Getting a childminder or nanny but that's expensive and not as flexible as a service for everyone.
3 accepting this is part of the British system
4 complain
5 leave work early to pick up and take to another activity (scouts, drama, tennis) if I can find one to buy a bit more time to finish up work..... that's not going to work though everyday!? The school can provide actitiesuntil 3.10 on Friday and 4.15 other days.

What have you tried?

2 - you can’t have it all so will just have to suck up the less flexibility. If it was just the food you were unhappy with you could complain but they aren’t going to overhaul the staff and activities. It is funny you thought teachers would staff it! Is your child there for the full three hours?

Now you say it, I suppose I didn't really think teachers would be exclusively doing it but they said it was their staff and not outsourced, so I assumed that it might have been teaching assistants or in someway linked to the school's staff. It's what they implied, they called it "continuity of care". I was surprised it was mostly run by teenagers.

No, she's not there all the time. But you can't do the activities and go to after school club. So it's 3.10- 6pm that it is open for. We need it until 5-5.30 on most days.

Do you have any advice about finding a nanny or childminder? A Google search helped me find Kuro kids.

I would ask other parents from the school. Is there a class WhatsApp group?