Cranford school/before and after care? (Clifton, Westfield: insurance, house, to buy)

[plume12]

Title says it all, so is there a before and after care at all???? I like Cranford and went house hunting but I'm concerned about the scools not having his program. And I'm surprised they don't. What do the (working)mothers do with their school age kid if they work???? i'm sure not all are stay at home moms, are they?

Thanks

[Lusitan]

The two-income parents I know in that area pay for a nanny after school; others have a stay-at-home spouse who can spend time with the kids after school. I'm not sure if the public school has such a program, but I'll see if they know.

[plume12]

Thanks, it would be great if you can find out. I've done some research and come up with nothing!!! I don't think that Cranford has full day kindergarden, I thought that was kind of strange?
Thanks again.

[Older&Wiser]

Plume. with all due respect....do you feel that it is the school's job to provide care for your children when you are not home? No, I'm not seeking an argument. Just wondering what you are thinking?

[plume12]

I'm not offened, I'm sure your an old timer, many towns have before and aftercare for students. They have this for working parents, for those of us who cannot afford to stay home and live in a nice town. A town I would like to have my son to grow up in. Also, many towns have this program, montclair, Clifton, Glenridge, Nutley, and Westfield. i don't understand why Cranford wouldn't have this program?
Old&Wiser-thanks for your reply, like I said if you here something shoot me an email. : )

[Older&Wiser]

Thanks for the answer.

[LeavingNJ]

To Older&Wiser: Just so you are clear, these aren't free programs, even if the public school system itself offers them. You have to pay tuition per child based on whether they use the program before or after school, or both.

Plume12, I don't believe the Cranford school system offers these programs, nor do any of the surrounding towns to my knowledge. Call the schools to find out for sure, though.

It is my opinion that the majority of mothers are still stay-at-home moms in Cranford, although this has likely been changing for years now. My wife and I paid for in-home child care when it was necessary. I guess most people here with two working parents still do.

[tandcookies]

Plume for full day Kindergarten check out Rainbow Academy – A Family of Child Care Centers They have a beautiful facility in Cranford.

You might try calling the Westfield YMCA and see if they can make any suggestions for latch key programs.

[jenn76]

I also looked into Cranford when researching towns. I did call the school, and they told me they do not have any programs for before or after school. There is one privately owned program in town (I forgot its name unfortunately), it's held at a church. But I recall that the cost was not at all comparable to a township based program (it sounded expensive). I also called Westfield Y, and they said that they don't pick up the kids from Cranford schools, just from Westfield schools (so who'll bring your kid to them?), and they're not cheap either. This was a year ago.
Also, maybe you already know this, but none of these smaller towns provide schoolbuses. So the kids are driven by someone, or hoof it themseslves (when at least half of the time the weather is bad?)
I thought all this was very strange for such an affluent town. I do think that most moms are home with their kids there.

[tandcookies]

Originally Posted by jenn76

I also looked into Cranford when researching towns. I did call the school, and they told me they do not have any programs for before or after school. There is one privately owned program in town (I forgot its name unfortunately), it's held at a church. But I recall that the cost was not at all comparable to a township based program (it sounded expensive). I also called Westfield Y, and they said that they don't pick up the kids from Cranford schools, just from Westfield schools (so who'll bring your kid to them?), and they're not cheap either. This was a year ago.
Also, maybe you already know this, but none of these smaller towns provide schoolbuses. So the kids are driven by someone, or hoof it themseslves (when at least half of the time the weather is bad?)
I thought all this was very strange for such an affluent town. I do think that most moms are home with their kids there.

Hmmm.... Metuchen kids go to the YMCA. I don't think it's cheap either.

Transportation is very expensive and really eats up a lot of the price in these programs. School buses and vans are very expensive for these places to buy as well as insurance and gas not to mention salaries.