After-School Programs

[Dr. Shane]

Many public schools will allow religeous, student groups to meet in the school after hours. Many churches have after-school programs in their own facilities, especially churches without a church school.

Does anyone have experience with these types of programs? What do you think?

[cricket]

Eleven years ago I provided after-school care for the students at our church school.

The teachers did not want the students doing any sort of organized play or work--they insisted that the time be spent playing on their own. (I never understood why.)

So, the students were obnoxious and unruly. The parents left their children in the after-school care as long as possible (they'd do their grocery shopping, get their nails done, etc).

When the rates were increased to the point where the parents started to "feel" it in their pocketbooks, magically they no longer needed the after-school care.

In my opinion, after-school care is unnecessary for most and abused by too many.

[Dr. Shane]

I would think after-school programs would be structured to be to give the kids that attend public school religious instruction. Many Adventist churches do not have a church school. An after-school program could be structured like VBS to be fun and instructional with recreation like a Boys & Girls Club.

I built a Family Life Center for a Methodist church some years ago and that is how they had their after-school program structured. They had a quiet room for kids that wanted to do homework. They had a gym for recreation and a media room for kids to hang out and watch whatever programs the church felt was benificial for the youth.