Care by age
Before and after school care, five to twelve
The two hours at each end of a school day that decide whether a parent can hold a full-time job. With one significant limitation we would rather you read now.
The limitation first, because it rules us out for a good number of families and finding that out in a meeting wastes your morning: we do not collect from schools and we do not run a minibus. This programme works for children whose adults bring them to us, which realistically means the schools within walking distance of 61st Street.
If pick-up is what you need, an after-school programme attached to the school itself is almost always the better structure and we will say so. What we are good at is the shape of day where a parent drops off here at seven, a child walks to school, and comes back here at half past three.
What the two ends actually look like
Mornings are quiet on purpose. Breakfast, somewhere to sit, and not much asked of anybody. A child who arrives at seven has a long day ahead and starting it with organised activity is a way of using them up early.
Afternoons are the opposite: outside first, in the yard, for as long as the weather allows. Children who have been sitting since nine need to move before they need anything else, and homework attempted at half past three by a child who has not moved is homework done badly and unhappily.
Then a snack, then a quiet hour where homework is possible and not compulsory. We will help. We will not supervise it as a task, chase it, or report to you on whether it was done — that is between your child and their school, and inserting ourselves into it makes us a third party in an argument you are already having.
The mixed-age question
Five-year-olds and eleven-year-olds in one room is a real difficulty and any programme claiming otherwise is not paying attention. We split the group for the parts that need splitting — the quiet hour especially — and leave it mixed for the yard, where the age spread is an advantage rather than a problem.
It also means the older children get something to do that is genuinely theirs. An eleven-year-old asked to join in with a five-year-old's afternoon will stop coming, and will be right to.
Diego runs this alongside the pre-kindergarten room, which means the newest five-year-olds arrive already knowing him. That continuity is the strongest thing about this programme and it is the reason we keep it small.
The days school is shut
Published in September for the whole year, so you can plan around them rather than discovering them. School holiday days are $95, from eight in the morning to six.
Snow days are first come, first served from half past six, and we will say no once the room is full rather than squeeze. That is a genuinely unhelpful answer on a snowy morning and it is better than the alternative.
Summer runs as its own nine-week programme at $385 a week, mostly outside, with no coach and no trips out of the neighbourhood beyond the two parks we can walk to.
Things we do not do, including one we are not permitted to. We do not offer night care, and could not — it requires its own separate Health Code permit which we do not hold. We do not take sick children, we do not collect from schools, we do not run a minibus, we do not employ a speech therapist or an occupational therapist, we do not tutor, and we do not offer a premium curriculum tier because there is only one curriculum here. Where you need one of those, we will tell you what it is actually called and where in this borough to look for it.
Included as standard
What is included
Both ends of the day
$185 a week. Before-school only is $95 and after-school only is $135.
Breakfast and an afternoon snack
Cooked here, as in every room, with no supplement.
Outside first in the afternoon
Before anything else. Children who have been sitting since nine need to move before they need a worksheet.
A quiet hour where homework is possible
Help if it is wanted. No chasing, no supervision as a task, and no reporting to you on whether it was done.
The group split where it needs splitting
Five-year-olds and eleven-year-olds share a yard well and a quiet hour badly.
A published holiday calendar
Every day the local schools close, listed in September, bookable at $95 a day.
Snow-day places from 6:30am
First come, first served, and a straight no once the room is full.
Continuity from the pre-K room
Diego runs both, so most five-year-olds arrive already knowing the adult.
When to make an appointment
Signs this is worth an assessment
- Your child's school is within walking distance of 61st Street.
- You need a seven o'clock drop-off and a half-past-five collection on the same day.
- You want the afternoon to start outside rather than at a table.
- You would rather homework was not policed by a third party.
- You need cover for the days the schools close and want the dates in September rather than in January.
- Your younger child is already here and you want both in one building.
Before & after school — what it costs
- Both ends of the day, five days. Before-school only is $95 and after-school only is $135. We do not collect from schools — see what we do not offer.$185 / week
Every rate on this site is published in full on the tuition page, including the ones that make us look expensive. Meals, snacks, nappy changing, settling-in sessions and the whole curriculum are inside the weekly fee — there is no premium tier and no outside provider invoicing you separately for a music class. The two charges that are not in the weekly fee are registration, at $75 a year per family rather than per child, and late collection after 6:15pm at $1 a minute, which goes to the two members of staff who stayed. If your child is three or four, read the 3-K page before you read this one.
Questions we are actually asked
Before & after school — frequently asked
Do you pick up from school?
No. We run no transport of any kind, which rules us out for families whose school is not within walking distance. We would rather say that on a website than in a meeting — an after-school programme attached to the school itself is usually the better answer if pick-up is what you need.
What does before and after school care cost?
$185 a week for both ends. Before-school only is $95 and after-school only is $135, with breakfast and an afternoon snack included.
Do you make the children do homework?
No. There is a quiet hour where it is possible and we will help if help is wanted, but we do not supervise it as a task, chase it, or tell you whether it happened. That is between your child and their school, and inserting ourselves makes us a third party in an argument you are already having.
How do you handle such a wide age range?
By splitting the group where it needs splitting — the quiet hour especially — and leaving it mixed in the yard, where the age spread genuinely helps. An eleven-year-old asked to join a five-year-old's afternoon will stop coming, and would be right to.
What happens on snow days and school holidays?
Holiday days are $95 from 8:00am to 6:00pm and the calendar is published each September for the whole year. Snow-day places open at 6:30am, first come first served, and we say no once the room is full rather than exceeding what we are permitted to hold.
Related programmes
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Holiday care
The days the public schools close and nobody else does. Published in September for the whole year so you can plan around them.
$95 / day
Summer
Nine weeks of mostly being outside, in the yard and in the two parks within walking distance. No coach, no trips out of the neighbourhood.
$385 / week
Pre-kindergarten
The year before school starts. Mostly about being able to manage a day away from you, and much less about letters than the brochures suggest.
$345 / week
Backup care
For the day your usual arrangement fails. Registered in advance, used when you need it, and honest about how often it is available.
$32 / hourTuesday and Thursday mornings, while the children are here
Come and see the room
A tour here happens during a session, in the room your child would actually be in, at the time of day they would be in it. You meet the person who leads that room rather than only the director, and you see the noise and the mess that are genuinely there. It takes an hour. If your child is three or four we will ask whether you have applied for free 3-K or Pre-K for All before we quote you a rate, because a good many families should not be paying us at all.