ISA has an exciting announcement: we are launching our After School Care Programme for the 2021-22 school year! The programme will provide wrap-around, on-site care for students enrolled in Pre-School to Grade 5 from the start of the school day until 18:00, maintaining the same quality standards of care and structured learning activities students experience during their school day while giving families greater flexibility. In addition, a Vacation Care service will run from 9:00-17:00 during school breaks. Ms. Rosa Middendorf has been appointed as the After School Care Coordinator and is responsible for overseeing the students’ care, staffing, and programme.

From the beginning, ISA placed vital importance on listening to and understanding the needs of families throughout the development of the After School Care Programme. Back in May, we surveyed current Nursery-Grade 4 parents and future families with students enrolled for Pre-School-Grade 5 for the 2021-22 academic year to gain an insight into parent perspectives on an After School and Vacation Care provision at ISA. The 12-question survey, followed by a section for parents to share additional questions and comments, revealed significant interest in an after school care programme at ISA and several factors important to parents. These insights played a crucial role in the development of the programme, ensuring that parents’ voices and student wellbeing were placed at the forefront of how the programme was structured. 

The majority of respondents emphasised the importance of activities and the structure of the programme, expressing a desire for variety in offerings, engaging environment, physical activity, outdoor play, educational games, a quiet place to complete homework and continuity of learning. As a result, students will be offered a complete programme of activities that caters for their cognitive, communicative, physical, emotional and social wellbeing, aiming to ensure that they are active, make connections, and develop curiosity and creativity. Students will experience meaningful provocations and learning moments through various learning styles such as individual, small, and large group activities. These experiences will help students develop their understanding of science, math, communication, visual and performing arts, physical movement and develop their sense of self and consideration for others.

Survey respondents also highlighted flexibility as a highly desired factor for the programme. Several respondents requested the possibility for their children to attend extracurricular activities, an easy pick-up system, flexible sign up and choice, and guaranteed continuity of service. Cognizant of parents’ desire for flexibility, the After School Care registration system is flexible, allowing parents to sign up for the days of the week they require care on a seasonal basis. Students in the After School Programme will have access to any signed up extracurricular sports, arts, music academy and language academy activities on the ISA campus beginning before 17:00. The seasonal sign up also runs alongside the majority of Extracurricular Activity registrations, enabling families to change sign up requirements every season if they wish.

The launch of ISA’s After School and Vacation Care Programme is an exciting moment for our community, bringing families greater flexibility and our students more opportunities for continued learning, to be active and to make connections with their peers. Registration for the programme will open shortly, so look out for the email!