How An After-School Program Benefits You, The Parent

As parents, we strive to provide the absolute best for our child and their school experience. We do research on different schools to see which would fit best, we try to make sure they do their homework everyday and understand the material, and most of all, we push them to have new experiences and have fun. Whether it’s because we had to walk to school uphill, both ways when we were younger, or because the importance of education has only become more apparent throughout the last generation, many parents are dedicated to providing their child as comprehensive and effective of an education experience as possible. 

So when it comes to after school programs, many parents see the value of a supplemental after school education experience. It provides a place for your child to hang out and make friends after school, with teacher supervision. It also combines educational curriculum with fun or exciting activities that make your kids forget they are learning. It’s an ideal supplemental education experience that any parent wants to give to their child. 

But as a parent, have you ever thought of how beneficial an after school program is for you? With all dedication and desire we put into supporting our child’s development and growth, we can forget that sometimes, we need some benefits and support as well. That’s where a quality after-school program like the one we offer at Step by Step in Hoboken comes in. Our after-school programs offer a reliable and supplemental education experience for your child after school hours, providing a safe and supervised space for your child to grow and enjoy themselves. But we also strive to make our after-school programs a good choice for any parent as well. Keep reading to learn more about our afterschool programs, and how they can benefit you and your child!

Feel Safe

Any parent wants to feel safe and secure knowing where their child is. When they are in school all day, you can feel pretty confident knowing where they are, and knowing they are supervised by trustworthy adults. But after school, especially if you are unable to pick them up immediately, is a different story. The hours of 3pm-6pm  are a very common time for children and adolescents to seek out a variety of undesirable activities, from drugs to potential crimes. While this danger might not be the most pressing or realistic concern in your mind, a reliable after-school program makes those concerns much less of a possibility to ever occur in the first place. Instead of worrying or fearing the worst, you can feel safe knowing that your child is inside, being supervised by a trusted adult like the instructors we have at Step by Step.

Homework Help

As a parent, we have all had to help our child with homework at some point or another. Whether it’s a complicated math problem that forces us to recall grade school algebra or a science problem that we don’t even know where to begin with, helping your child with homework can be a bit harder and more draining than you bargained for. Some parents might even greatly enjoy helping their child with homework, but even those people would still like a break every now and then. An after-school problem like the one we offer at Step by Step can provide the homework help your child might need. Our instructors can work with your child to help them get through the harder problems on their homework, giving you a bit more time in the late afternoon/evening to  get your own work done or take care of other parental responsibilities.

Flexibility for Your Job

Many parents who are considering an after-school program for their child are also working a busy job at the same time. Whether you are a single parent working tirelessly, or your spouse also works during the day, finding the time to pick your child up from school while balancing the end of your work day can get pretty tiresome and stressful pretty quickly. A trusted and reliable after-school program can give you the flexibility you need at the end of a long work day, without  disrupting your kid’s day too much. Instead of them waiting on the curb for an hour while you rush through traffic or hurry through a meeting, you can feel confident, knowing they are supervised and secure.

New Environment and Experiences

Any parent wants to provide their child new environments and encounters that help support their growth and diversity of experiences in life, but providing that to them on a consistent basis can be harder than it seems. An after-school program can provide a more consistent exposure and outlet for these new non-school environments and experiences.  Your child can meet new friends, learn from new instructors, play new activities and educational games, and simply diversify their overall educational experience that much more, all without you having to do much at all as a parent. It’s an experience that lends itself to your child’s overall growth and development, and it doesn’t take very much effort at all on your part: an ideal scenario for any compassionate parent.

Continued Learning Growth

An after-school program also provides the important function of supporting and reaffirming a day of learning for your child. This aspect is something that your child might not like if they heard you say it, as few kids will actively admit to “liking” learning, but as their parent who is committed to their growth and education,  it’s an ideal scenario. Your child goes to school and learns all day, but instead of just going home and trying to forget about the day and their homework, they get to their after-school program and experience learning activities and a much more relaxed curriculum, maybe even going over the same topics they learned about in school that day. This continued learning growth and reinforcement of learning topics can be vital for your child’s educational retention and can support their educational efforts in the future. 

After-School Programs in Hoboken – Step by Step

As you can see, an after-school program doesn’t just support your child’s growth and development –  it helps you as the parent support their growth and development too. A quality after-school program like the one we offer at Step by Step School in Hoboken will not only aim to foster your child’s growth after a long day of school, but it will also look to make your life easier and help you make your kid’s life more fulfilling. Contact us today to learn more and see how your child can start experiencing the joys of an after-school program today!