4-H After School Child Care Programs (ACCP) In Placer & Nevada Counties

The Issue

Patterns of family life in the US have changed dramatically. In more and more families with children in elementary and middle schools, both parents (and single parents) participate in the workforce. Increasing numbers of children in kindergarten through 8th grade are unsupervised during non-school hours.

What Has ANR Done?

Operating daily at 18 sites in Placer and Nevada counties, the 4-H Afterschool Child Care Program (ACCP) annually provides over 636,000 hours of quality care to more than 1,200 children in kindergarten to 6th grade. Daily themed curricula include a rich variety of activities that stimulate children's thinking and intellectual abilities. The 4-H Afterschool Child Care Program uses a learn-by-doing approach that is age and developmentally appropriate. This approach includes:

• Games and activities that reinforce academic skills and concepts.
• Scientific experiments and projects.
• Projects that require critical thinking and decision-making skills.
• Social-emotional activities that provide opportunities for children to interact and learn more about each other and themselves.
• Community outreach activities that help children critically examine and appreciate their values and those of others.
• Physical activities that provide children with opportunities to learn and strengthen small and large motor skills and coordination.
• Creative activities that encourage children to express themselves in non-programmed, imaginative ways by drawing inspiration from within themselves rather than from external models or directions.

The Payoff

Improvements in parent job performance & children's behaviors

Parents reported improvements in their own job performance after enrolling their children in the 4-H afterschool programs. Significant improvements were recorded in parents’ ability to concentrate, volume of work produced, reduced interruptions and reduced errors. Parents also reported substantially fewer negative job experiences and reduced stress involving child care after enrolling their child in these programs. The 4-H programs were rated superior when compared to parents’ prior child care arrangements in the areas of educational activities and cost.

Contact

Supporting Unit:

Placer-Nevada Counties
 
Sharon K. Junge, County Director
11477 E Ave
Auburn, CA 95603
(530) 889-7385