2.1.4.1: Supervised School-Age Activities

The facility should have a program of supervised activities designed especially for school-age children, to include:

1. Free choice of play;
2. Opportunities, both indoors and outdoors, for vigorous physical activity which engages each child daily for at least sixty minutes and are not limited to opportunities to develop physical fitness through a program of focused activity that only engages some of the children in the group;
3. Opportunities for concentration, alone or in a group, indoors and/or outdoors;
4. Time to read or do homework, indoors and/or outdoors;
5. Opportunities to be creative, to explore the arts, sciences, and social studies, and to solve problems, indoors and/or outdoors;
6. Opportunities for community service experience (museums, library, leadership development, elderly citizen homes, etc.);
7. Opportunities for adult-supervised skill-building and self-development groups, such as scouts, team sports, and club activities (as transportation, distance, and parental permission allow);
8. Opportunities to rest;
9. Opportunities to seek comfort, consolation, and understanding from adult caregivers/teachers;
10. Opportunities for exercise and exploration out of doors.

RATIONALE

Programs organized for older children after school or during vacation time should provide indoor and outdoor learning/play environments that meet the needs of these children for physical activity, recreation, responsible completion of school work, expanding their interests, learning cultural sensitivity, exploring community resources, and practicing pro-social skills (1,2).

COMMENTS

For more information on school-age standards, see [The NAA Standards for Quality School-Age Care,] available from the National AfterSchool Association (NAA).

TYPE OF FACILITY

Center, Large Family Child Care Home, Small Family Child Care Home

RELATED STANDARDS

3.1.3.1 Active Opportunities for Physical Activity

REFERENCES

1. Coltin, L. 1999. Enriching children’s out-of-school time. ERIC Digest (May).
2. Fashola, O. S. 1999. Implementing effective after-school programs. Here’s How 17:1-4