Berkeley Parents Network: Albany After School Programs

Berkeley Parents Network

Albany After School Programs

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > K-12 Schools > Albany Public Schools > Albany After School Programs

Questions

Albany Kindergarten - before-school care?
What are you doing for after-kindergarten care?
Options to the YMCA program
Afterschool options for Kindergarteners
Albany Middle School after school programs

Reviews of Specific Programs

Albany Kindergarten - before-school care?

Feb 2006

Our son will attend kindergarten in the Albany public schools this coming fall. We'd prefer Marin , simply because it's geographically closest to our house, but understand we may be assigned elsewhere. We do prefer afternoon K and I gather that our chances of getting our preference are pretty good since most parents prefer morning. My main questions are, assuming he attends afternoon K at Marin, how do we register him for the onsite before-school childcare program? Is this part of the school registration or a separate process/application? When do I need to do it? Second question, do we want to sign up for this? What's the program like? Any reviews or comments would be welcome, as well as suggested alternatives for care from about 9:00 or 9:30 a.m. until the K class begins. And finally, what if he is instead assigned to Cornell or Ocean View? What are the morning care options there? Thanks! Albany mom

It is my understanding that the before and after school care offered to Kindergarten students in the AUSD is offered only at the Albany Children's Center. See ASUD website at: http://www.albany.k12.ca.us/children There is no ''on-site'' school care at any of the elementary schools. You were misinformed. former albany parent

1) How to register for childcare at Marin. Yes, it is two separate processes. To learn more about Kindergarten & registration for that, attend the parents night, which is, I think, Feb. 15. Call the Albany school district offices for more info. Last year registration for childcare (it's called Tupelo at Marin), was during the summer. Talk to the Albany Children's Center (in U.C. Village) for more on that.

2) Should you attend: I have an afternoon kindergartener, and have been happy with the morning care at Tupelo. My daughter describes it as being like pre-school: a number of activities offered with the child choosing what to do. I think that loose structure for part of the day provides a nice balance to the greater structure of kindergarten. The only kids there in the morning will be kindergarteners: those from your child's class and the other afternoon class. It has given my child a chance to get to know some of the kids in the other class and also time to play with her own classmates in a less structured setting than the classroom. I see it as a good opportunity for my child to solidy some of her school friendships. We are signed up for just two days/week. The arrival time is very flexible. Kids eat lunch at the end of the morning and can either get a school lunch or bring their own. Mary

There was a wrong post on this issue -- Albany Children's Center is NOT the only before-care option for Albany kindergarteners. Marin has an onsite program called Tupelo for before and aftercare. Many children at Cornell attend Kids' Club, at the Y next door to the school (other Albany kids attend Kids' Club as well). There is also a program attached to Ocean View. Marin Parent

What are you doing for after-kindergarten care?

Jan 2006

My child is starting Kindergarten in Albany in the Fall. For those of you who have Kindergarteners in Albany, what are you doing for afterschool care, and are you happy with it? From the archives it looks like there have been somewhat mixed reviews of the on-site care offered through the school district. Also - am I already too late to be trying to figure this out?? Confused

The Kindergarten aftercare program is very important, esp in Albany sin ce the Kindergarten day is so short. My child goes to Ocean View and is in the on-site aftercare program there (Cedars), and I think it is excellent...in fact, one of the reasons I chose OV is because I liked the on-site aftercare there the best. The teachers are excellent and really know my child. The kids are kept busy and have a lot of activities from which to choose. They have a really nice area right next to the K classrooms. If you haven't decided which Albany school to choose, I highly suggest visiting the afterschool programs as well as the classrooms to get a feel for for them. Albany parent

My daughter attends Kindergarten at OceanView School in Albany. Her older sister went to the onsite aftercare called Cedars and all of the other aftercare programs offered through the Albany Childrens' Center in UC Village and had a great time. Cedars uses the large pla yground at the school and holds reading and journaling activities, computer time, art and games. The teachers are all very experienced. However, our second daughter found it a bit too busy and crowded for her. She had a problem being chased and pushed down by some of the boys and the teachers did not seem to be able to stop it. They use good conflict solving skills to have the children work out issues, but our child did not seem to get it to work with some of the kids. After a few incidents and after she continued to complain about the program, we decided to switch her to Creative Play Center, CPC. Other children love Cedars, but it was just not a good fit for us this time. CPC is run in the basement of a house on Portland. They have pre-school in the morning, and then a van goes around to different schools to pick up K-5 children. It is a smaller place and has a big backyard for playtime. Jeanne

It's not too late, but there's no time like the present! If your child attends Cornell - a fabulous school in many ways, and the Kindergartens really couldn't be better - the Kids Club on Solano, run by the Albany YMCA, is really quite fine. I read a post saying that it's more expensive than other after school centers (surprising - make sure you compare carefully as centers charge in such differently convoluted ways), but there is a scholarship program that you do not need to be impoverished to apply for. No place is perfect - especially when you're sending your kindergartener to school for the first time! But this one has a great sense of fun, camraderie, joy, family, etc. etc. The kids like belonging to it, they love the counselors, & vice versa. The staff comes to pick up your child after school at the door of th eir classroom (1st grade on they meet at the tables on the playground) and walks them only a few steps to the Solano Center. On nice days they spend a lot of time at the school playground. So it's really like an on-site center. Also, they take groups that want to pay the extra fees (minimal) to gymnastics classes & so forth at the Y a couple blocks away, and I think they've added a few classes at the site - maybe dance & art? Of course they pick kids up from other schools as well - they're very into walking! BTW, they only go from K to 3rd grade on Solano, for 4th & 5th they walk Cornell kids up to Marin. We've had a child at Kids Club for almost all of the past 6 years. Our daughter's in 1st now & she's very attached to it. Feel free to email me for more info. Leah

Options to the YMCA program

Sept 2005

Does anyone know of alternative before and afterschool programs offered to Albany USD? The YMCA provides a program but it's extremely expensive and I would like to see if there are other options.

There are several options for Albany USD parents. The Y is the most expensive. We opted the first few years for the on-site care at Marin, but we found that it was disorganized in some respects and that our child simply wasn't happy there. He complained that kids were bullying, etc., without adequate adult intervention. We also found that the people in the administrative office were not good about effective billing, communication, etc. Though now there is a new office manager, so things may improve. And I didn't meet any kids or parents who liked the staff supervision at the Cedars site (University Village, used during school breaks when the individual school sites were not operating). So we took him out and placed him in the Friendship Club at Memorial Park. So far we have be! en very pleased with the organization and supervision there, and he has not had complaints. Friendship Club and the onsite care programs are comparable in cost, less than the Y. But Friendship club does not offer before-school care. The onsite programs do.

If I were you I would talk to other parents in your child's class and find out what they do and how they feel about it. You can also find out which of your child's friends may be enrolled in a program, so as to place him/her with a buddy or two. Good luck! friendship club parent

Afterschool options for Kindergarteners

March 1998

I am in the process of trying to put together public Kindergarten and after-care (or before-care) for my daughter who will start K in the fall, and am struggling (I think at least one or two of my other friends in the same position are also at their wits end. Kindergarten in Albany is only THREE hours, and all of the after-care situations seem huge and not very impressive. It feels like they are basically kid warehouses. Any suggestions? Any possibilities of smaller settings? Kris

Re aftercare: As the parent of a future kindergartener this fall I have not been happy with the aftercare choices I have seen. A list of choices is available from the district. They all seem to have in common large numbers of kids and a feel like "summer camp" (lining up, taking roll, counselors yelling to get kids attention, kids coming and going at different times). For older kids staying 3 hours this could be ok, for young kindergartners who I think need small numbers, a routine environment and less chaos/more attention...well I'm not happy at all with the choices. Visit them and share your impressions. The worst part of all is that you don't find out til June or July where your child will attend, and then (I've been told) not definitely until 1-2 weeks before school, meaning you may need to scramble for arrange care at the last minute (although the aftercare people say they expect this and work with you to accomodate it). Personally, although private school is expensive, I am of the opinion that it may be worth it for one more year just to avoid this aftercare mess. (My daughter is in a private pre-K program so could continue into private kindergarten there if we choose).

My own feeling is that unfortunately Kindergarten is the hardest year for deciding what to do because of the aftercare issue. With only 3 hours of school you may find your choice has to be what session of kindergarten (am or pm) you need, and that will dictate what school and what teacher you wind up with. When you register you can state a preference, but the district tells you up front that you may not get your choice of session or school, even if your choice is your closest school. This is because the new 20kids per class has wrecked havoc with the space available at different schools. Keep in mind that when picking an elementary school you are choosing not just for Kindergarten but K-5. If you want your child to walk to school with you and have playmates that are close to where you live, you may prefer to request your local school...but since Albany is really small it may not be such a big deal to go to any of the 4 elementary schools. Some people like the small feel of Vista and McGregor since they only go to grade 2 (funneled to Cornell and Marin in higher grades). You just have to visit and get a feel yourself. Also I would urge you to meet the principal and administration in your school. If you are unhappy with any aspect of your child's classroom or teacher these are the people you will need to deal with. Do you feel like they are responsive? In my limited observing I have seen good teaching at Albany schools. The differences between public and private can sometimes be in the teaching styles and sizes of classrooms and the physical facilities and amenities (extra options like music, science). Also, the kids in the public schools have perhaps more diversity in race, income and special needs.

Albany Middle School after school programs

March 2003

We have a 5th grader who will be going to Albany Middle School next year. Does AMS offer any kind of on-site afterschool programs for students? Do any of the various off-site afterschool centers coordinate with AMS? (The ones we're familiar with stop at 5th grade.) Any suggestions you can provide would be appreciated.

There is no real ''child care'' at AMS, but there are a few options. On site, there are after-school (and sometimes before- schol)courses offered through their ''Kids College'' program, but you are not guaranteed a slot, and it does not run all year. The Albany Teen Center does not stay on site, but they do meet the kids at AMS and transport them to the Teen Center (behind Ocean View school on Buchanan). You sign up for a semester at a time, I think, and spaces are limited. If your child needs tutoring, there is also (sometimes) an on-site tutoring program, but it is by teacher referral only, I believe. R.K.

After-school programs at Albany Middle School are a big change from programs for elementary students. You must make arrangements piecemeal.

Often, AMS PTA September meeting invites after-school program reps to discuss their offerings.

AMS offers an after-school tutoring program in the library, run by Dara Birnbaum (who runs Albany Village after-school programs). Kids can try out for AMS Girls Volleyball, Boys/Girls Basketball, Boys/Girls Wrestling, or join Boys/Girls track. AMS Kids College offers programs from cooking to Spanish to art (sign up early).

Albany Library has after-school homework help, and the city Teen Center has counselors, games, and activities. Albany YMCA also offers basketball and other after-school programs. Some kids join Little League, Soccer or other organized sports programs with after-school practices several days a week.

If you arrange a homework group, friends can study together after school. Merry

Also recommended: YMCA Kids Club for Middle Schoolers

Albany Homework Club for Grades 1-3

1998

Here is info about an after school program being offered by
Creative Play Center:

$4.50/hr
Program includes: cooking, art, science projects, community outings, computer
skills
Grades 1-3
After school M-F, open till 6pm
After school transportation provided (to Albany residents) - open to kids in
other surrounding cities, just no transportation from non-Albany schools
Contact: Creative Play Center (CPC) Homework Club at 524-9399

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