After School Childcare? (New York, Yorktown, Hastings: daycare, preschool, salary)

[K&F]

I live in a suburb of Richmond, Virginia, and an SERIOUSLY contemplating a move to Westchester next year. Maybe later this year. I'm seriously looking at Hastings. I have a six year old daughter, and have to work full time (I'm a widow) so I need after school care for her. down here, there are tons of commercial daycare centers, as well as numerous churches that have daycare centers - currently, she is in a church center which is working very well for her.

I've tried googling daycare centers up there and all I come up with is daycare places for preschool/babies. Hastings Recreation Dept has an after school program and i called them - it's $100/day if they stay until 6 pm! Does anyone know what people up there generally do? I need something reliable since I'll most likely be working in the city - no matter where I work, I need to know she has a place to go every single day. Finding a sitter to stay with her at our place isn't always the most reliable thing, although at one point here I did contemplate trying to put together a "co-op" system of high school kids - if one of them couldn't make it, they could get someone else in the group to do so . . . but that would be hard for me to do up there, being brand new to the area.

thanks.

[jyyanks]

Is your daughter in Middle school or elementary? Call the school and ask of they have an after school program. Ardsley has one (its called Children's Center) for the elementary school and its open in the Am from 7:30-8:30 and after schools until 6.

Another alternative is the Homework Club in Hastings
Homework Club Homepage

Not sure what their rates are but it is run by a local mom and it goes from grades 2-6.

[K&F]

I ended up emailing a nursery/preschool in Hastings, and asked if they knew of any after school programs. the owner was really nice, emailed me a link to a website that is a clearinghouse of childcare in Westchester. it's on my email at work - I'll put it here later in case anyone else is following this thread and wants it.

she was nice, we corresponded by email and she invited me to stop by if I'm up on a weekday, and offered to give my email address to some moms she knew with kids in special ed, etc., in Hastings.

anyway, I checked out this homework club and it looks fantastic, so I emailed that woman . . .

on, my daughter's in elementary school, first grade now.

the recreation dept in Hastings has an after school program they run at the school, and to keep a kid there until 6 pm is $100/day!! out of my price range, even on a NY salary!

[sallyg]

I would recheck Hastings rec- I highly doubt it would be $100 per day- meaning parents pay 2k a month for after school??? I would think more like $100 per week.

[dma1250]

In Yorktown the schools have "enrichment programs" that run in the morning and after school until 6:30pm. If you do it on a regular basis it is about $1000 for the entire year. We use it every now and then and it is $15 per day. I think most schools have the same thing.

[K&F]

Child Care Council of Westchester, Inc., a child care resource and referral organization for parents, child care providers, employers, and community organizations.

this is a really good website.

well, I thought $100/day was expensive, even for New York, but I asked her "a day, or a week???" and she said, a day . . . I

just can't imagine, for three hours . . .

The Homework Club looks fantastic.

I pay about $5000/year here for after school care for my daughter and full time in the summers. there are no programs in the public schools, you have to go to a private daycare, and that's big business around here. there are tons of them.

if I can get childcare up there cheaper, that's a huge plus for moving. Virginia is sorely lacking in social programs of any kind.