In 1990, Cooperative Extension through grants from USDA established school-age child care programs for children 5 to 14 years old. Thirty program site directors were surveyed to review the best interaction methods and practices for working with school-age children in child care and their families. The following were cited as the best practices. Families cannot always attend meetings because they need transportation, need child care for younger children, have inflexible work schedules, or have court disputes. Many of the families are distrustful of anyone on the school staff.
Parents require a variety of resource and developmental needs to perform their job as parents.
Provider's need to offer an array of options for parent involvement such as a parent advisory board, obtaining letters of program endorsement from parents, holding open houses, and establishing a parent volunteer program Children are very adept at accepting home and school challenges. Staff responded to children's stressors by devoting time to developing trust between the child and the staff members, presenting children with challenges while giving them opportunities to practice making decisions under the guidance and support of a concerned adult. Provider's need to establish a network or support comprised of related agencies and organizational representatives, educators, local decision makers, and business members to develop support. Provider's need to inform the larger community about the benefits the program contributes to the citizens of the community. Often citizens are unaware of the barriers faced by families and do not appreciate prevention or service programs.