Urban Mamas

The SUN program is hard to figure out! It is free at some schools and there is a fee at others. It depends on who the "community partner" is with the school that runs the program, and there is very little information online. At our school you had to wait until the 2nd or 3rd week of school to see what was being offered for each grade level, and then the program started the next week. The SUN program is not designed to be childcare and does have break weeks when there are no classes. If your need for childcare is flexible and you have back-up options for off weeks and no school days then it may work out for you.
However, if you need consistent regular availability than you should choose another program. The before and after care programs are different at each school. They are not run by PPS, they are run by outside agencies. You need to find out what agency (Art 4 Life, YMCA, Peninsula Children's Center, Vermont Hills, ect.) runs the program at your school and contact them about part time options. It is a very piecemeal system with no centralization. I do believe the district has a person (or office?) to help parents with childcare though I don't know how much help they would be, but you could try contacting the district.

Hello,
Could someone assist me in making sense of SUN programs vs. before/after school care? I am trying to figure out how to work and have a child in public school!

Is before/after school care only all five days a week, not piecemeal?--i.e., if my kindergartener only requires it, say, two days a week, can we arrange two days a week or is it all or nothing?

Is a SUN program a reliable, every-Monday-and-Wednesday-all-year (for example) option? OR: do classes fill up or are there breaks when that coverage would not be available?

Are SUN programs free? (This may seem like a silly question, but it's surprisingly hard to confirm!)

Thank you for your answers and any other comments!

My son (currently finishing his kindergarten year at Faubion), has been a part of the SUN program for the first two trimesters of school. (The only reason he did not participate in the most recent SUN classes is because we just welcomed a new baby brother to the family, and I decided to curtail any extra activities for awhile.)

As I am a (mostly) SAHM, we use the SUN program as an extension of school, more so than an after-school care program, although, really the only difference is that Eli is in SUN one or two days/week instead of five.

Eli has expressed interest in science, so to supplement what he learns in kindergarten, we signed him up for SUN science. The classes have cute names, which I don't remember, but one class was about water, a second about toys. The would do things like experiment with adding oil to water, or in the toys class, the physics of marbles.

Eli also took an art class at SUN. Collages, mixing paint, and working with clay were some of the activities I remember.

There are a ton of classes available. Usually some sort of sport class, homework helper class, singing, gardening--the selection is varied each time the classes are offered, and probably vary according to location. I mostly know about the younger kids classes, although some of the offerings for the older kids look pretty cool (circus activities, chess, Lego Robotics...) A majority of the classes are free, although (and of course the ones my son picks) some classes do have a participation fee--usually about $5 or $10 for the trimester.

There are also two SUN times per afternoon, a 3:30-4:30 session, then a 4:30-5:30 session. As school ends at 3:00, the SUN kids meet in the cafeteria for a snack before SUN starts, and recently (as the weather has gotten better), the kids go out on the playground for a little bit. We have only ever participated in the 3:30-4:30 session, so I am not sure if there is snack or anything before the 4:30 session.

We have been pleased with the SUN program. At first I was worried about Eli having an extremely long day, and coming home from SUN super tired and cranky. (I mean, he is only 5, and he wakes up at 6am--it's a long day for me!) He absolutely loves it though, and would come home from SUN excited about whatever they did that day.

In that aspect, the SUN program is a nice compromise for us. Instead of me trying to schedule playdates and schlepping the kids around, Eli gets to hang out with friends after school. Not that the kids get to be maniacs, but (at least the classes Eli's been in), there seems to be a little more freedom in the afternoons. In the science classes, they usually get a little lesson in the beginning, and then spend most of the time moving around the classroom doing experiments, so it's not as though the kids are stuck in a chair all afternoon.

The classes are also mixed ages, which is cool because the kids get to meet other schoolmates, not just other classmates. (I'm sure it depends on the class, but the breakdown is something like K-2, 3-6, etc.)

I realize this post is a little long, but the SUN program has been a great experience for us. It is an inexpensive way for my son to be occupied after school, socialize with his friends/meet new buddies, pursue activities he already is interested in (or thinks he may be interested in), while being in a safe and convenient location.