Important questions to ask your child’s after-school care

Did you know that while pre-primary and primary schools are regulated in South Africa, after-school care is not, which can often result in an unstructured, unsafe and unhappy environment for your child? Scary, right? That’s why it’s important that you ask the right questions when scouting out the right aftercare for your child.

We chat with Janine Hammond, mother, entrepreneur, and the regional director at WC North Sherpa Kids at Sherpa Kids South Africa for her insight into what parents need to ask about their children’s after-school care programme. For parents whose children are already attending day-care, it’s never too late to ask for more information on the way the day-care runs its day-to-day schedule.

What holistic development is offered?

Ideal after-school care should be centred around the holistic development of a child, with a combination of free and structured play. Well-run after-school care programmes will include supervising homework (if required); engaging activities such as arts and crafts, sports and games, music, drama, experiments, and technology experiments; and well-supervised free play.

How will my child be actively engaged and stimulated? 

Theme-based activities, specifically designed to be age and stage-appropriate, are critical to a comprehensive educational programme. There should be time for active play and extra-mural activities, but you also want the children to be in an environment where they can use their own imagination and curiosity to play freely under supervision. If the school programme is endorsed by a local or international education authority, such as The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), even better.

How are afternoon activities and supervision structured?

The afternoon needs to start with a formal roll call system. If a child is not there, it is important to know why. This will be followed by lunch, when appropriate, and then homework supervision. The duration of homework supervision needs to be flexible, depending on the age and stage of the child.

There also needs to be time for structured activities and free play. It’s very important that aftercare is not experienced as an afternoon of extra lessons. It is not a double-up of the school day, it is about learning through play. This generation of children have incredibly structured days, which can lead to stress. Children need time to relax and play in their own time.

What capacity of staff do you have and what are their experience/backgrounds?

International best practice for aftercare requires a staff-to-child ratio of between 1 to 10 and 1 to 15. Qualified graduates and retired childcare professionals make the ideal after-school care providers. You want people who are passionate about childcare and filled with energy and enthusiasm to engage with the children in a positive way.

It is important that the aftercare staff’s working day starts in the afternoon, so they are not tired after a workday or just see the after-school programme as an add-on to their other work, rather than their core responsibility. Parents are paying for this service.

Are all of your staff members trained in first aid?

This is a critical area that parents should investigate and many current providers at schools fall short here. International best practice requires at least one staff member trained in first aid to be on-site at all times. It is also imperative that the staff are trained in paediatric first aid, rather than a general first aid course.

The most frequent causes of death in children under the age of 12 are anaphylactic shock (allergic reactions) and choking. Paediatric first-aid ensures that staff members will know how to deal with these. Also, first-aid qualifications expire after two years, so you need to ask whether their paediatric first-aid training is up to date.

What is your protocol when it comes to behaviour management and incident reporting?

Why it’s important is because staff members need to be able to know how to manage children in a variety of different circumstances. Scenario-based training is ideal for this. The staff also need to know how to appropriately communicate with the parents. Transparency is vital and parents need to be informed.

Do you practice sun-smart principles (no hat, no play) during playtime?

If a sun-smart programme isn’t being implemented as a school rule, it is almost impossible for it to be implemented effectively at after-school care. Most schools do institute a sun-smart programme in school hours and aftercare, but it’s still a good idea to make sure.

What holiday care service – if any – do you offer?

You may be happy with your after-school care provider, only to find out that there isn’t a holiday programme in place. You ideally want a comprehensive care provider, so you are getting the full-service solution and are not being left stranded over the holiday periods.

Do you have a proper, safe child sign-out procedure?

Many after-school care service providers allow children to sign out for themselves or go and wait by the gate after receiving a WhatsApp message. This is not an acceptable sign-out procedure and places the child in a vulnerable position. Active sign-out procedures are vital to ensure that your children are safe; only those authorised to do so are allowed to collect the children.