Dear All, What are the advantage and disadvantage of after school care for primary school student. Thank you:) Regards, Jaz

Both my children have grown up at care centres since infant days as we work, with my elder gal being in Primary 1 this year, she's currently attending a student care centre near her school. Not that we do not trust our family or relatives to help wth the care arrangement for that matter, but we truly see the benefits of these care centres. The advantages and disadvantages of a student care centre do not differ too much from that of a child care centre in terms of the social and care giving aspects, but at this stage, our focus is really much more then meeting their basic food and care needs (plus our kiddos would be much more independent by now). Advantages: 1. Learning / Intellectual - the centre provides a structured and more conducive environment for revision of work and completing homework, with access to guidance from the teachers at the care centres. This is especially important for me because I know my gal would lack this kind of supervision if she is to be left at home for example, with my mom. My gal's centre also provides additional assessment books to help supplement school work, especially during exams time. 2. Social support - my gal is a social bee at school and she enjoys the new friendships she forged both in class and at her care centre. I can't tell if her extrovert nature was from her upbringing through care centres or the reverse. But the saying 出外靠朋友can definitely apply now as they mature. After all, I want to know what kind of friends she is mixing with to a certain extent! And knowing more friends in school has also helped her network and converse better confidently both with friends and with her teachers (think show & tell and oral!). 3. Emotional support - the teachers are my greatest ally in my gal's upbringing generally, be it school work wise, life skills, manners or importantly that emotional support my gal need. Although we have a very open relationship and can talk freely about anything, I would sometimes rope in the help of her teachers who would share my gal's thoughts which may have been oblivious to me (for example, she once told a teacher she doesn't like a certain activity I asked her to do!). My gal also consults the teacher on almost anything and I would say anyone could do with more than one life coach in their life! 4. Recreational, physical & creative needs - depending on the centre, most centres would have some form of enrichment activities built into their schedule, whether a music session or just some doodling fun time. The fun doesn't stop here either during school holidays as most centres will organise different activities from field trips to picnics or community work projects. 5. All rounded impact - The centre’s activities have an all rounded impact on the growth of my gal. I could so go on and on about its benefits and advantages but only because I've witnessed how they grew and thrived positively, making them more responsible and independent (as compared to those who may not have been through any care centre environment- I'm comparing this directly with nieces and nephews who have not).