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Our rising 6th grader is going to East Cary Middle School in a few weeks. We must have misread the WCPSS website regarding after-school care, as it was a surprise to us to learn that this school is only offering an off-site option. The kids are bused to the Cary Family YMCA location near Bond Park. Unfortunately, we live in the opposite direction. . . . .all the way down near the intersection of Ten-Ten and Lake Wheeler Road.
Our rising 2nd grader is going to Adams Elementary, which is only a half mile away from East Cary Middle, and the YMCA offers an on-site after-school program there.
Besides spending an extra 30-45 minutes in the car each evening driving from Adams to pick up younger son, and then going all the way over to Cary Family YMCA to pick up older son, and then back, what other options do we have for after-school care for our 6th grader?
We could let him take the bus home and spend 2+ hours at home by himself, but I'm not sure he is ready for that level of responsibility.
Our rising 6th grader is going to East Cary Middle School in a few weeks. We must have misread the WCPSS website regarding after-school care, as it was a surprise to us to learn that this school is only offering an off-site option. The kids are bused to the Cary Family YMCA location near Bond Park. Unfortunately, we live in the opposite direction. . . . .all the way down near the intersection of Ten-Ten and Lake Wheeler Road.
Our rising 2nd grader is going to Adams Elementary, which is only a half mile away from East Cary Middle, and the YMCA offers an on-site after-school program there.
Besides spending an extra 30-45 minutes in the car each evening driving from Adams to pick up younger son, and then going all the way over to Cary Family YMCA to pick up older son, and then back, what other options do we have for after-school care for our 6th grader?
We could let him take the bus home and spend 2+ hours at home by himself, but I'm not sure he is ready for that level of responsibility.
Check to see how fast the bus would get to your house. He might not be there alone as long as you think.
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Check to see how fast the bus would get to your house. He might not be there alone as long as you think.
School lets out at 2:15, and judging from the current bus route, he would be the absolute last stop on the bus route, so I'm guessing about an hour ride, which would get him home by 3:30. He'd be home by himself for nearly 2 hours. While I realize that there are many kids out there who are certainly mature/responsible enough to handle this, based on past behavior, I'm not convinced that my son is one of them.
School lets out at 2:15, and judging from the current bus route, he would be the absolute last stop on the bus route, so I'm guessing about an hour ride, which would get him home by 3:30. He'd be home by himself for nearly 2 hours. While I realize that there are many kids out there who are certainly mature/responsible enough to handle this, based on past behavior, I'm not convinced that my son is one of them.
You might want to see if any high schoolers in your neighborhood provide afternoon sitting services, maybe?
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Sometimes other options exist than the Y, for example I see tae kwon do and art buses picking kids up at school near us. You may also see if any stay at home parents you know are looking for extra income.
Check with the middle school to see what is offered after school. Maybe you can rig together some club memberships or after school tutoring (our middle school has that twice a week but you do need to sign up).
Our middle school gets out at 3:00. We are less than two miles away and my youngest gets home at 3:30. Middle school buses usually wait a good 15 minutes before leaving campus. However I hear you on not completely trusting the child. You may need to hire a local high school student or college student even if they don't live in your neighborhood.
Sometimes other options exist than the Y, for example I see tae kwon do and art buses picking kids up at school near us. You may also see if any stay at home parents you know are looking for extra income.
We checked with the school, and their only suggestion was the KinderCare across the street. Last thing I'd want if I was in middle school would be for the KinderCare short bus to take me across the street.
Check with the middle school to see what is offered after school. Maybe you can rig together some club memberships or after school tutoring (our middle school has that twice a week but you do need to sign up).
He won't need tutoring as he is a bright kid. Perhaps he can be the tutor though.
I looked at the clubs, and most meet only once per week, so he would need to sign up for nearly all of the clubs. . . . . and hopefully they don't meet on the same days of the week. They finish clubs at 4pm, so then he would have to take the activity bus to a subdivision that is about a 5-10 min drive from us and arrives there at 5:30pm.
I'm beginning to think that it is preferable to have him just ride the bus and risk him burning the house down some afternoon. He's had his share of bus riding problems though, which is why we've driven him to school all the time.
Dude you're missing the point. If they have tutoring it is someplace he can go and do his homework instead of being home alone for a few hours.
I'm sure a bright kid like him can figure out to follow your directions about to be home alone.
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. You may need to hire a local high school student or college student even if they don't live in your neighborhood.
