If you and your spouse both work, you might be in need of an after-school child care program to ensure your child is properly taken care of after class lets out. If your child is just reaching school age, you'll have a lot of things to consider as you begin looking at available programs. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Look for Specialists with an Educational Background

While it might be possible to just hire a babysitter, sending your child to an after-school child care program could be a great opportunity for additional learning experiences. When you are looking at the care center's instructors, you'll, of course, want to make sure they have the proper background checks and any other necessary credentials, but you might also want to specifically seek out instructors with an educational background. This kind of care center will ensure that your child never stops learning even after they leave school.

A Good Balance of Mental and Physical Activities

The best day care centers or after-school programs work in a mix of both mental and physical activities throughout the day. You want your child to be able to move around a little bit and burn off any excess energy so they are not jumping off the walls when you come to pick them up. At the same time, you don't want your child so tired that they want to fall asleep. A good day care or after-school program mixes both of these types of activities together to keep the child engaged throughout the day.

Great Communication

The best after-school programs are great at communicating with both the children and parents. The day care center should have a clear list of rules for children to follow. See if you can sit in on the day care center before committing to the program. Watch the instructors interact with other children to see how things work. 

As a parent, you should also expect regular communication with the teachers or instructors. A daily recap of your child's activities might be a bit much, but you should feel free to go and talk to the day care center's adults at least a couple times per week to see what's going on.

Look for a good mix of activities when selecting a day care or after-school child care program for your kid. Contact a local after-school program today for more information.