Parents Want Homework Help

10/03/2007

Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all.
Emily Dickinson

In the September issue of Exchange we looked at current research on the demographics of school-age child care. This article, "School-Age Child Care Trend Report," can be viewed in its entirety in the MORE FREE CONTENT section of our web site, www.childcareexchange.com. In an online extension of this article we reported the results of a survey of directors of school-age programs about their challenges and goals.

When we interviewed school-age professionals about current expectations of their parents, two topics topped the list — parents want their kids to be safe and they want them to do their homework in the school-age programs. Here are some of the responses...

Lisa Cain-Chang, Child Educational Center, La Canada, California: “Many parents are focused on wanting their children to complete their homework after school. We maintain that children need opportunities to rest and play after a full day of school. Academic expectations in this district are extremely high. Parents (and some children) grow anxious over quantities of homework. This has only increased over the years. Beyond homework support, parents expect a safe environment, friendly teachers, interesting things for children to do, and hours that match work and school closure schedules.”

Jan Stange, Great After-School Place, Brookings, South Dakota: “Parents expect us to do everything. Parents seem to be over-extended and their children are not getting what they need at home, so parents want us to provide it. Homework help, discipline, and values — these were all things that were taught or happened at home that are now being expected from OST programs. Parents are losing touch with their kids.”

Allison Gorman-Young, Harrisburg Area YMCA, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: “I have been in this business for 25 years. Parents still want quality care at an affordable rate. However, today's parents seem to have more personal and/or work related issues. As a result, more parents today rely on their child care provider to solve many child-related concerns on our own rather than on a partnership basis.”

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