Many children require after school care when preschool or elementary school ends for the day and parents are still at work. Luckily, there are many quality after school programs that can fill the need for childcare between the end of school and when parents can pick up there children. While there are many after school programs available, they are not all the same. Use the following tips to help you choose a quality after school program for your child.

Price

Childcare is not cheap, and while you most likely want your child to attend a very high quality after school program, you need to consider your budget. Think about how much you can afford to spend each week for after school care for your preschooler or elementary age child. The last thing that you want to do is enroll your child in an after school program that is not affordable, since you will eventually have to remove your child from the program and find an alternative form of after school care.

Environment

Before enrolling your child in an after school program, take the time to visit the facility. Some companies, like Joyous Montessori, know that a great after school program will be fun and exciting for preschoolers and elementary age children who are being cared for. If you find an after school program that you really like, you may want to visit again with your child to see how she or he reacts to the environment, the caregivers, and other children who they will be spending time with during after school care.

Activities

A great after school program will have a lot of fun planned activities for all of the students. Before enrolling your child in an after school program, don't be afraid to ask if you can observe one afternoon so you can learn more about the schedule of the after school program and what type of activities the kids do each day. The more you know about an after school program for your pre-schooler or elementary age child, the better off you will be.

Hours of Operation

It is essential to choose an after school program that works with your work hours. Make sure that the after school program operates late enough to give you time to commute from work to the site of after school care. It is also important to know if there are any fees for late pick-up in the event that you get stuck in a traffic jam.