Reception starters and after school club

[MashaBear]

Would really appreciate your advice please..
New school offers after school care to 6pm to reception DC. DS will be quite young in his year so I expect he'll be very tired by end of school day.
I'd need to use it say 3 days a week so he could come home at 3.30 2 days a week.
Does this sound doable?
Anyone else used after school provision at reception age? Alternative would be finding a childminder 3 x per week as we have no family living near by.

He will be tired, but children are very adaptable. I speak as someone who has worked in after school clubs, and whose children went to after school clubs (separately). Our one at school provides as snack, rather than a tea, and the younger ones then crawl on a lap if they are tired.

I used it 5 days a week (and breakfast club). Boys were fine and not as tired as everybody said they would be.

I used childminder in reception as she would give them dinner and it meant they didn't get home at 6pm without having had tea. Switched to after school,club during year one. But lots of reception go to breakfast, and after school club right from the start

Mine are Spring born, started reception last Sept. I work 3 days a week. Initially they were doing breakfast club at school (from 7.45am) and then childminder after school until about 5.30pm.
Switched them from childminder to after school club in April at their insistence - they wanted to be with friends and they have been much happier since. Although it is a pain for me as I have to feed them dinner when we get home (vs childminder used to feed them)

They get tired towards the end of each half term but I wouldn't say on a day to day basis they are exhausted at all - infact since starting school they generally have more energy and stay up later than they did before (so don't believe everything you hear about school tiring them out !)

My DD in reception goes, but not until 6. Plenty of her friends go for the full hours. I think the key would be getting tea eaten as soon as you get in. You also will need to fit reading in every day.

What time does he go to bed at the moment?

My reception DD goes to after school club 5 days a week and several children from her year go as well. The lady that runs it is quite strict and that was a shock to the reception children at first and they all took a while to settle. However, my DD absolutely loves it now and sometimes goes to holiday club run by the same people and loves that too. The added bonus is that she has friends from other years and classes and I've got to know more parents as well. Go for it, it's so much cheaper and easier than a childminder.

Thank you all for posting- this is encouraging me to give it a go when he starts.
Sounds like I will need to make sure he has tea then bed quickly afterwards - currently meant to be 7.30 bedtime but that's not always strictly enforced ( DH) Thanks everyone

You've described exactly what DS does, and has done since he started school OP. He was fine. He was not ever particularly tired. After school club is just extended playing with your friends. Also excellent for making friends in other years/classes. On occassionally I've got to school a bit earlier than usual and DS has sent me home !!

When DD starts school in Sept, they will both be in breakfast and after school club 4 days a week.

Agree with Bike that it's just extended play time with their mates. My reception aged ds has been going three nights a week since he started school and loves it. If I turn up earlier than usual he gets quite huffy! In the summer they play out on the school field which is great and if he was at home he'd be out in the garden anyway so not much different. Most after school clubs do a snack as well so there will be food.

That's exactly what I did - 3 days collected at 6, 20 min walk home, dinner in front of TV with me, bed. Worked fine but made the other days extra special.
They had a pile of bean bags and soft toys lots of the kids spent time on.
Childminders are like gold dust near me and the only one with space moved away, so no choice really.

Our DC go to the "late room" at nursery at the moment which is 5.30-6 and they take a packed tea so are used to this (normal session is till 5.30 but no tea). On a normal day we'd whisk them home for a packed tea that we keep in the fridge for the day and then straight into bed.

As he's used to the idea of the late session DS will be OK I think with after school club twice a week. I am not sure if they let them take a packed tea though. Even if they do he'd want a snack in the car upon pickup. So either snack in the car on the way home or tea immediately we get home and then straight upstairs for bath and bed.

If I turn up earlier than usual he gets quite huffy!
Yes that's what DS does if he's in the late session at nursery and I'm there a minute before 5.55! It's in a baby room and he loves playing with the baby toys!

So pleased this is working for all your reception DCs. I will be so chuffed if he gets annoyed at me for arriving too early!

All this school tiredness varies from child to child I think. I didnt notice any difference from nursery to reception with dd. She also loved after school club in reception, but now less so.

Summer born here - my employers allowed me the flexibility to use a few days of annual leave spread out very thin to be able to collect at 3:30 every day just up until the half term of reception because I thought it would be best to get used to school first and then get used to after school club (on a different premises). After the October half term the transition to after school club was fine. No real problems. Yes we get whining in the mornings saying that after school club is horrible and boring but just like it used to be with nursery the reality is that when you collect at 6pm they don't want to leave as they are having so much fun.