How important is afterschool program quality/structure?
We’re trying to understand how much the structure/quality of afterschool programs really matter.
We had hoped our child would use afterschool time to try activities and develop skills (e.g. martial arts, swimming). However, the program at the elementary school we were offered seems mostly like unstructured childcare across mixed ages.
Since we don’t need childcare, we were hoping for something more engaging; or else we’d probably just have her play at the neighborhood playground where she will see her her preschool friends.
At the same time, I’ve read that many kids benefit from unstructured time to socialize with friends after school, so maybe program quality isn’t as important as we thought.
We may get off waitlists at other schools, so I’m trying to figure out how much weight to put on afterschool offerings when making a decision. How important has afterschool quality been in your experience?