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Sending your child to after-school daycare will ensure they are in a safe, enriching environment after school, while you are still at work. This makes after-school daycare an important part of life for many working parents and their kids. Even though after-school daycare is a positive experience for most families, the first time may nonetheless feel intimidating. Just follow these tips to help ease your child's transition to after-school daycare. 

Decide On the Type of After-School Program

Most cities offer a wide variety of after-school daycare programs for kids. Some are simply voluntary programs held at your child's school after the official school day is over, and you pay a fee to have your child attend. Others are held at daycare centers or small family-led co-ops. Some after-school daycare programs are actually centered around a specific activity, such as music, sports, math, or art.

Be sure to spend some time researching the available after-school daycare options in your area. This will help you choose the daycare program that is the best fit for your child.

Make Arrangements for Transportation

Most parents who enroll their children in after-school daycare are still at work when their kids get out of school, hence the need for daycare to fill in the gaps. If this is the case for your family, it's important to look into available transportation options to get your child to their daycare from their school each day.

Some after-school daycare programs will automatically enroll your child in a shuttle service, while others require you to sign up ahead of time. You will also want to go over the details with your child, and even show them where they will get onto the bus or shuttle.

Visit the After-School Daycare With Your Child

Finally, your child will have a much easier time on their first day of after-school daycare if you bring them to visit ahead of time. Make an appointment to ensure you and your child will get to meet their daycare teachers and get a tour of the facility. If your child is attending an after-school program right at their own school, show them the room or area where daycare is held. The idea is to show your child what a fun time they will be having after school.

Sending your child to after-school daycare doesn't have to be stressful. Simply following the tips in this blog post will help make the experience a positive one for your whole family.

Reach out to an after-school daycare like Tim McCahan After School Sports Family Life Center to learn more.