I've been looking forward to this year of the kids' school for some time...probably since Quinn entered Kindergarten. It represents a milestone in our lives, they are both now in school for the full day. As a working mom, this is pretty big. The childcare costs of day care are high. And when Keely was in Kindergarten, we were paying the same tuition as we are now even though she's in school 7 hours instead of 3 (don't ask me why). On top of that cost, I was also paying for about 6 hours of extended day care for her. So now that she's in school full time, I only pay about 2-3 hours of day care after school each day (and a little more on Fridays). So obviously I am happy to reach this milestone, or should I say our bank account is happy to reach it.
The kids have mostly liked EDP (the extended day care program). It's reasonably priced, they provide snacks, they keep the kids entertained, but also do their homework most days. We've definitely had our issues though. The kids know they are not in school while they are there...so they tend to goof off. And while they are technically not in school, they are on school property and thus must generally behave within school rules. Staff members have different perspectives on this though and we have those who are "tougher" than others.
Why am I telling you all of this? Well, this year has not been so smooth and I am beginning to question how much I really "value" this program. We definitely had our troubles with Keely there last year, now she has been fine - happy to only being there ~2 hours a day. This time it's Quinn. Last week he was getting picked on by an older child in 8th grade. It only happened one day and then seemed to stop. Then yesterday, I get a call about 4 PM from the EDP Director saying Quinn had to be picked up immediately due to inappropriate behavior at snack. He took some carrots and was dancing them around in his private area. Another boy was caught doing it and then he told the teacher Quinn was doing it too and they both had to go see the Principal who ordered that they be picked up. Both James and I talked to Quinn about this behavior, he understands that it is not appropriate and that he should pick his friends better to not be dragged into this type of situation. He gets caught up with entertaining other kids, and obviously sometimes not in the right kind of way. I think he's struggling a bit to fit in with the other kids who go to EDP. There aren't a lot of kids his age, mostly younger and older. So some days he's happy and others he is not.
So what's a working mom to do? I have no choice at this point but to use the program. Well, I guess I do have a choice to have them sent somewhere else but the logistics of that are just so mind boggling. I am lucky right now to work from home one day a week, but there are still 4 other days to think about. The best, and only, thing we can do right now is take it one day at a time and keep fingers crossed that the talking with Quinn helped and we won't have issues. I hate being afraid to see the "Blessed Sacrament" number pop up on my phone and not wanting to make eye contact with the Staff because I'm afraid my child did something bad that day. Such is life as a parent I suppose.
Other than that, school itself is going great -- for both kids. Quinn loves 3rd grade and is so excited to be working with numbers in the 10,000s. They are quickly moving to 6 digits too and he can't wait! Keely loves 1st grade. She was nervous about the length of the day but said it felt "like one hour Mama!". She says they get so much work done, and talked about Math being "so exciting". I love the enthusiasm of these ages. They are really little sponges and it's a joy to watch the learning that takes place so rapidly. My hopes for a good school year are most definitely off to a good start, despite little bumps in the road!
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