There are public schools and private schools and most of them go to public schools (Elementary and Junior high) in your neighborhood like here in America.

Elementary schools (Kindergarten through 6th grade) and Junior high school (7th ~ 9th grade) are mostly in walking distance and there is no bus. (well that’s how it was where and when I was growing up.) But you can’t just go to the closet high school from your home. You have to take and pass the test – means each high school has different academic level. You might want to go to the closest high school, but if that’s the highest academic level in the town and your grade is not good enough, your teacher wouldn’t even let you take the test for that high school.

So many of us go to “school after school” called “JYUKU” to keep grades up in Junior high school, high enough to be able to take the test for high school you want to go to in the future. Some “super tiger parents” even make their children go to “JYUKU” when they are just babies. The better high school you go to, the better chance you go to a good college and the better college you go to, the better company you are hired and so is your life! So what happens if you don’t pass the test? You take a “back up” test first which is usually for a private school and you most likely pass it.

Speaking of college, you also have to pass a test. It’s only once a year in spring. You get to take one for several colleges, but if you don’t pass, you have to study and wait a whole year to try again. It’s called “RYUNEN.” There are schools for that, too.

Sad thing is most people are so focused on which college to go to and the companies only look at that on their resume when they hire employees, too. People forget or don’t even think about what they really want to do in their lives after college life is over. (By the way, in my generation, only a few % of women went to a 4 year-college. I’ll talk about that another time, too).

Do I want my children to be in this kind of school system? No Way! I keep telling them to study hard and work hard, but also always remember to search and think about what they want to be when they grow up, something that they will love to do for a living because I never did so I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.

Organize a cooking club to make a nutritious snack for everyone. Make a healthy trail mix with granola or cereal, peanuts, pretzels, seeds and dry fruit. Mix up fruit smoothies in a blender with low-fat yogurt, fresh fruit, honey and ice. Put together mini-pizzas with small bagels, pizza sauce, and cheese. Review math concepts such as fractions, addition and subtraction with the cooking lesson.

Physical fitness is an activity to plan each day. Kids need about an hour of physical exercise each day. Have a fitness club to organize a team sport such as dodge ball, softball, and volleyball to play with everyone. The club can also plan relay races and fitness and movement games. If weather is rainy or snowy, play indoor volleyball, basketball or set up an obstacle fitness course.

Putting on a play or puppet show is an activity that can be ongoing for several weeks or more. Have a drama or puppet club, which meets twice per week. The kids will pick a story or play that they like, design costumes or puppets, create props, and practice their parts. Pick a date for the performance and invite other students, friends and family to come see their production.

Eight more great after school club activity ideas:

Science Club: do experiments and record results
Chess Club: have tournaments
Book Club: read a book, discussion, and write book reviews
Dance Club: learn dance steps from all over the world
Language Club: learn sign or a foreign language
Photography Club: take photos of other clubs
Journalism Club: put together a monthly newsletter
Art Club: drawing, painting, sculpture, and cartooning
Plan on each club being between one half to one hour in length. Offer sessions so everyone can have an opportunity to participate in many of the activities. A different club or activity can be offered each day. Have kids sign up for a club that they are interested in. Involve the kids in the planning, preparation, and even leading the club. The more the kids are involved in the activity, the more successful the activity will be.

These child care services are set on helping both the children and parents or guardians reach a comfortable schedule. They understand the stress of juggling work, parenting, and time management. In order to help take a step out of your day there are buses that will gladly pick up and drop off children to their after school center, house, or school.

Some people rely on these services to watch their children after school. Babysitters are not always 100% reliable, and that can mean having to leave work early, or having to call out all together. Taking your child to a day care center is a stable decision and each employee is trained in child services. Your child will be stimulated by learning friendly environments, books, other children, arts and crafts, play grounds, games, and more. Organized activities are always and option and being there is a great time to designate as “homework time”.

Hanging around other children in a relaxed environment will help your child improve social skills while making a few new close friends. There are field trip opportunities that will further encourage your child to mingle while still gaining culture and knowledge. Not to mention there are summer camps every year that will catch every kid’s attention. Each center will have its own way to interact with the kids in a creative way.

The ultimate goal of these centers is to make it a fun, educational, and comfortable place for the kids and a trustworthy, dependable, and smart choice for the parents. The after school programs are available for all children of school age and will do all they can to help take stress off your schedule. Not only will they provide transportation assistance but they go an extra mile to make sure that the children are safely led into the building. The staff will personal escort the children from the bus and into the building.

As a parent, your first concern regarding any after-school program is safety.

- Are the students safe and well-supervised?

- Are the staff members fingerprinted, their backgrounds checked and cleared before hiring?

- How do students get to the program from their classrooms?

- Is there a procedure for parents picking up their children? Do parents sign in, show ID?

- Are all of the site entrances locked and/or guarded?

- What happens if a child gets hurt or sick?

- Is an adult front and center to make certain that safety rules and procedures are followed?

Once those questions have been answered, it’s time to see how the after-school program handles homework.

Not All After School Programs Are the Same

There are different types of after-school programs, and each type will have its own homework philosophy, goals and focus. For some programs, homework will be a priority, but for others, fun and recreation or enrichment activities such as art, music or dance may take center stage.

How do you know if homework is a priority at your after school program?

Does the program mention homework in its brochure, website and materials? Do they say it is a priority? If they don’t mention homework, it’s probably not a priority.
Does the program have dedicated space and time to complete homework? There should be a homework area (a separate room is ideal) for students to work on their homework. This environment should be quiet and free from distractions (usually those students not doing homework!).
Does the program have proper homework materials, supplies such as paper, pencils, and reference books?
Does the program have an adult supervising the homework area? An adult staff member should be available to answer questions, to make certain that no copying (cheating) is taking place and to keep students focused on finishing their work.
If the program seems to do a fair job with homework, consider allowing your child to do his “easy” homework and save the important homework for home. For example, my daughter sometimes did those (silly) math and spelling worksheets at the after-school program, but saved reading and projects for home.

If the after school homework program is nt up to snuff, please don’t insist that your child participate. Wrong, rushed, sloppy, ocopied homework is really a waste of time. Let your child spend the afternoon playing, relaxing, and eating a snack. He will be in a much better mood to do his homework later.

When trying to decide if your child should do his homework at the after school program, please consider his unique personality. Some children need a break right after school, while others have no problem doing their homework immediately. Give your child my Homework Personality Quiz to determine if homework and after school programs are a good match.

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Here negotiators really threaten the creditors of the bankrupt and was forced to remove the quotas. However, the remaining amount to be paid in does not remove the mass. Method of cost reduction: this is also known as debt consolidation. Here, the negotiators will lower interest rates and other costs, such as costs, late fees, negotiated and asks the creditors pay back the entire repayment plan. Once again, the threat of force used bankruptcy creditors agree to these terms and conditions. Full repayment debt management of the balance redefined here to start the consumer to fix their debts and carry. High interest rates make debt priority and low interest rates are applied to the second.

And so, we went directly to another class after our school. The brochure
said that they would be ‘using fun activities and innovative teaching
methods to fill the gap in your child’s understanding’. I suppose they
meant that the teacher would write down the homework and we were to copy
it. At least, this is what happened most of the time. Of course, we didn’t
tell our parents. How would that help? They’d simply get smart and shift us to a class that would actually make us solve our homework.

I hated the classes. Mostly, I was bored to tears or falling asleep.
After so many hours at school who’d want to spend the entire afternoon
with the same books? But, as a child, one had little choice in these
matters. Especially when one’s parents were cleverly telling one that
mommy’s salary will help get us that spanking new TV or that video game.
Lose some, win some!

Then, one day, my sister decided to rock the proverbial boat. She decided
she had enough of studying and refused to go to the after school program.
That’s when my parents began to smell something stale. Shortly after that,
they put us in a better program (o, yes, another educational one). This
was bigger, brighter and somehow more fun. We had some interesting games,
and a COMPUTER too. Each of us got a chance to do something on the PC
(this, when PCs were just beginning to make their presence felt). We
somehow managed to blaze through our homework, most of which had to be
done by us. Then it was time to have fun. We had a little bit of
everything. Acting classes, speech, games and of course painting. Those
hours we spent splashing color on pages and laughing at silly jokes were
really the highlight of an otherwise boring day. Ironically, I began
looking forward to my after school program.

Now, so many years afterward, when I need to take up a job and leave my
own child alone till I get back, I know how important these after school
programs have become. Talk about history repeating itself! I just hope I’d
get her into a good one, and yes, it’s going to be educational too.

The learning environment that one fosters in after school activities must
be as disciplined and as functional as that found in the school. This is
especially true of educational after school programs. This is the best
place to teach the child important skills like time-management and goal
setting. Time-management is a vital skill, but it is not achieved easily.
Children need to feel the discipline that is needed to finish a task and
the happiness of finishing the allotted work in a specific time frame.

Children look for different things in an after class program. The learning
environment should be attractive, colorful and informative. Use charts,
pictures, posters and drawings to liven up a class. Additional resources
(resources that are not easily available in the school) will make the
classes interesting. For instance, when teaching a biology lesson, allow
the child to see through a microscope or see slides of bacteria. This
will add to his knowledge and also make him more enthusiastic about his after school program.

Discipline is a must in after school activities. In fun or sport-based
activities, it is easy for children to step out of line and wreck havoc.
While children should be allowed to have fun, they should be curtailed
from unacceptable behavior. The best way to enforce discipline is to lay
down the rules at the very beginning. Let the children know what is
unacceptable, right at the beginning.

Rewards are an important part of any learning process. The reward can be a
simple pat on the back or a token of appreciation. Motivate your children
to aspire for higher things by rewarding their achievements. Holding
competitions or sport activities where the children can show their
proficiency is a reward in itself.

Children can get bored easily, especially in the case of an educational
program. The main thrust of an academic program is to repeat what has been
taught in class and to allow the child to learn it quickly. It is
difficult to pique the child’s interest a second time, especially when the
child is already tired of one dose of the same lesson. It is best to
thwart boredom by using creative techniques like an impromptu extempore on
any topic, a quiz program or a slideshow.

After school activities are becoming more popular by the day. Parents want
their kids to learn more. Children too have an insatiable quest for
knowledge. In an after school program, it is possible to pay individual
attention and quench this thirst using various effective techniques.

Development of social skills is one of the more important objectives of a
good after school program. In a recent survey, parents indicated that
while they do want their children to respect others, they also wanted them
to imbibe skills like getting along with other children and getting used
to children outside the immediate circle of friends. Many children find it
difficult to make new friends and get along with people outside their
group.

Good after school programs place special emphasis on security and safety.
They keep children out of trouble and keep them safe. A good after school
program should be fun, especially when the children are young. If the
activity is fun, you will not have to worry about keeping him interested
or motivated. To be effective, programs should be organized and
structured. They must also suit the age of the child. The child must be
aware of the purpose of the program, and must be convinced that they are
attending the programs to accomplish something.

Other than safety, boredom and loneliness, the poor performance of many
students also led to the need for after-school programs that are based on
the school curriculum. Children coming from low-income families were found
to lag behind in reading and grammar after a long break in the summer.
Statistics prove that if school-going children are left unsupervised after
their school, the chances of poor grades and drop out are considerably
higher. The funds provided by the Government will allow rural and
inner-city schools to provide activities during the summer, over the
weekends and after school. These activities will take place in a
drug-free, safe and supervised environment.

Positive augmentation of critical skills is the prime focus of these
school-based after school activities. Thus they enhance the skill level of
the child. Most school-based programs offer assistance in math tutoring,
reading, comprehension and problem solving. Many programs provide engaging
activities that seek to prepare the students for college. Hands-on
experience is provided for children who want to invest in a career in
teaching. Access to telecommunication and technology and involvement in
music and art are other benefits of these programs. This becomes
invaluable, especially in low-income sectors where such activities are
considered to be a luxury.

As far as children are concerned, the snacks provided in after school
programs are an added incentive. School sponsored after school programs
are entitled to receive funds for snacks. The National School Lunch
Program is designed to do just this. Free or reduced price snacks will be
provided for children from schools that apply for it. The CACFP reimburses
expenditure depending upon the child’s income status. But this is
applicable only till the age of 13. The funding that schools get depends
upon the area in which they are situated. A low-income area gets more
funding. Supper can be served to children below the age of 19. Longer
programs can provide both supper and a snack. With the participation of
non-profit private organization, it is possible to feed deserving school
children breakfast, supper and a snack.

Recreational after school programs offer children an opportunity to let
off some steam and to destress themselves. The closed classroom atmosphere
and a day full of textbooks and writing cause the child to repress his
natural enthusiasm. He curbs his energy when he is required to sit quietly
in class and learn. Physical activity is an all-time low during such
times. This physical lethargy and inaction is countermanded by
recreational activities. Growing concerns of obesity and child diabetes
make it necessary for children to indulge in some strenuous exercises that
will allow them to work up some sweat.

Unlike educational programs, recreational programs do not tax the
mental processes. But, they do aid the learning process by making the
child more active. A child who is physically active is mentally fit, and
is able to focus his thoughts on the work at hand. Additionally,
recreational programs teach discipline, mechanics of teamwork and fair
play. These are important lessons in the growing process.

As more and more nuclear families emerge, the child faces greater
isolation. Many children shuttle between their classroom and their
bedrooms and do not have any meaningful relationships outside these.
Recreational programs offer ample avenues for socialization. This is a
place the child can go to and play even when his neighbor is not the most
welcoming. The Boy / Girl Scout programs are excellent recreational after
school programs. Lately, survival classes and camps have devised to
combine important survival skills with sports and games to educate
children on how to handle emergencies.

Like any good after school program, recreational programs are designed to
give children a safe area where they can indulge in some group activities
that interest them. This is one of the most effective ways to keep kids
out of the streets and out of trouble. But, one has to be careful when
enrolling children for recreational classes. The age of the child, his
temperament and his physical caliber has to be taken into account before
you choose the right program for your child.