Ask A Bay Area Expert: After-School Activity Ideas
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After-school and extracurricular activities can be incredibly enriching and rewarding for your children and you. But the process of finding and booking the right ones can be stressful for even the most organized families. Here are three tips from Rachel Styne to help take the hassle out of matching your children with the right experiences for them. Rachel Styne is the co-founder of Sprout SF, a natural and organic children's boutique and the "chief connector" for Reso, a company that empowers parents to find the best extracurricular experiences and activities for their children in San Francisco.
Reso
Quality Matters!
Unfortunately, there's no official grading system for activities—and quality varies tremendously. Too often, parents are on their own when it comes to evaluating a program's fit for their children. That said, it pays to invest in research. Don't just rely on star ratings: what's great for someone else may be unacceptable for you. Read detailed reviews where possible, try to watch an activity in action to get a sense of the instructors and spend some time on the provider's website/brochures to understand their philosophy and approach.
Community Has Its Benefits
While you might be willing to travel across town for exceptional activities, it often makes a lot of sense to find providers in your neighborhood. Not only does this save you time and cost in commuting, but it lets you build up a network of other families in the area. This can come in handy when you're looking for folks with whom you can carpool, share toys and build great community experiences.
Don't Fear Technology
Too often, parents ignore the easy approach when it comes to booking and paying for activities. Playing phone tag and mailing checks is a hassle and takes up enormous amounts of time. See if your favorite providers offer the ability to schedule, book and pay online. It'll save everyone time and energy!
