Extending Your Child’s Developmental Opportunities Through After School Care
Posted On: August 31, 2018 By Jim Newton
After school care is an important facet of any thriving community, as it offers many benefits to families in need of a little extra help when it comes to raising children. We all want what’s best for our kids, and instilling positive qualities in them begins with their early developmental environment. After school care is one of the ways to extend the supportive family and school environments that help children grow and develop into successful, well-adjusted adults. In this way, after school care is essential to the overall growth and development of a community. In this article, we’ll go over why after school care may be beneficial for your own children and how you can get access to such programs.
Developmentally Appropriate Programs
One of the most important facets of after school care is the developmentally-appropriate structure. After school programs are usually grouped by the age of the children so that they can receive the same help with homework tasks, socialize with other children their age, and participate in developmentally appropriate activities that help stimulate their growth. For instance, children in pre-k programs will participate in very different tasks in comparison to an age group of 12-14 year-olds. Before choosing an after school program for your child, it’s important to ensure that the program utilizes effective methods of teaching that cater to the age and developmental stage of your child.
The Different Domains of Growth and Development
Children are all unique and valuable in their own ways, however there are certain developmental milestones that they are expected to reach in certain intervals, usually according to the age of the child, that indicate normal growth and development. After school programs are staffed with child care experts who have extensive knowledge of child development and growth. Attending to the various domains of child growth is one of the primary tasks of after school programs, as it promotes more success in later adulthood. These are the four main categories of child development that every after school program should attend to in various, creative ways:
Physical
Outdoor play and group sports activities are an excellent way to promote physical health, muscle development, and fine and gross motor skills. This is especially important in instilling healthy behaviors like daily physical activity, which can help avoid health issues later in life such as obesity.
Cognitive
Depending on the child’s age, an after school program will not only help children with their homework assignments, but also helps children expand their knowledge by engaging them in fun, novel experiences where they can learn new skills.
Social
This is one of the many reasons why parents enroll their children in after school programs—social growth and development. Learning how to appropriately engage with others, such as learning effective ways of communicating and other prosocial behaviors like showing appreciation for others promotes tolerance and social adeptness.
Emotional
Through the various stages of development, children learn how to express themselves emotionally. This involves being able to accurately identify how they are feeling and learning positive, effective ways of communicating their feelings to others so they can have their emotional needs met without engaging in destructive behaviors.
Other Benefits of After School Care
After school care for children is certainly rooted in a focus on child growth, development, and wellbeing; however, there is an over-arching goal of community wellness and growth that can be achieved through after school care programs. Here are some of the other benefits that after school care programs offer families and communities:
- Family Stability
- Safety and Security
- Structure and Routine
At Great Beginnings Child Care and Learning Center in Sugar Hill, GA, our after school programs are tailored to the needs of the children and families in our community. Not only do we attend to children’s developmental stages, but we make it our mission to involve families and parents in our programs so they feel at ease and comfortable knowing their children are always in good care. The benefits of after school programs are undeniable, as they have shown to improve overall family and community growth. To learn more about our after school programs, please look over our website or contact one of our child care experts directly. We look forward to being given the opportunity to help prepare your child for future success.
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