Re: Late activities?

praguejen@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
I've been keeping tabs on the sleep and older children thread, and am
personally quite amazed at how many extracurricular activities (even
for younger children) take place at what I consider to be eating
dinner/getting ready for bed time - i.e. after 7pm! Swimming, piano
lessons, etc....!!! Is this a normal thing in the US?

Yes, because many families with two working parents
don't have anyone home until 6:00 or 6:30 to haul kids to
activities.

Now, my son (3rd grade) is finished with school at noon or 1pm every
day - he starts at 8am - which I know is also quite different than in
the US.

Yes, my 3rd grader doesn't get home until 3:30pm.

There is also a very strong program of state-subsidized
after-school care until 5pm, which most kids participate in to some
degree (and the fee is so nominal that it's laughable - approx $80 a
YEAR), during which most schools offer classes, such as dance,
computers, music, languages, etc.

There are afterschool programs here, though most
would be significantly more expensive. But even though
I'm generally home in the afternoons, a lot of activities
are affected by the unavailability of many parents until
later. So, while I can schedule earlier dance classes
(because there are classes at all different times to
choose from), the soccer team is likely to practice
later on weekdays because some of the kids assigned
to the team probably have two working parents. Most
afterschool care here doesn't involve classes and
lessons, though. There is one notable exception here,
with a martial arts academy offering afterschool care
where they provide time for homework, martial arts
classes, and other things while the kids are in
their care. That's relatively unusual, though.
Taking music lessons or dance classes or whatever
typically isn't available through an afterschool
program.

Best wishes,
Ericka
.

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