Direct and open communication from staff to parents is extremely important. Staff should get to know parents as well as their kids program open houses, newsletters or bulletin boards, and regular meetings encourage communication and the exchange of ideas. Parent Involvement Parents are the heart of any program. The school-age child care movement arose out of the needs of working parents. Researchers have found that once a program has been in operation, parent involvement is essential to maintaining quality and stability.
Involvement can stem from the communication parents maintain with the staff.
In a perfect world, all school-age child care would be affordable and available at school or with free bus transportation provided. Transportation is a huge obstacle for many parents who cannot lave their jobs to take their children from activity to activity. The Nashville YMCA administers 99 school-based programs that cover six counties and serve 3,500 kids. The majority of the children are in grades K-4. The Nashville Y developed alternative transportation solutions for magnet school children, who come from all over the greater Nashville area, and chartered Nashville city busses.