After-School Care Consideration Diary #2 | The reason why I still want to enroll them, even after facing the '100,000 yen per month' cost

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With elementary school enrollment coming up next year, our family is considering using a private after-school care program called KBC (Kids Base Camp). After the trial event I introduced in the previous article, we moved on to the next step.

On a weekday evening, we went for an individual information session and facility tour, intentionally aiming for a time that would show us the 'real, everyday' routine.

Event days inevitably feel like 'special occasions.' What I wanted to know was the reality of the after-school hours where children spend their daily lives.

And there was one more thing. The unavoidable topic of 'costs'.

It became a time to face the raw reality that I couldn't see just by looking at the internet or brochures.

A system to solve the 'cramped' concern

When I first went inside, what caught my eye was how the space was used.

During the trial event, I felt a little uneasy while looking at the facility. 'Can they really balance homework and play when so many children gather here on weekdays?'

However, that worry was unfounded. The facility has movable walls installed, which change the function of the space depending on the time of day.

This after-school program has a rule: 'Finish your homework before you play.' When that time comes, the space is divided by walls between children doing homework and children playing.

The idea of flexibly using the entire space rather than locking them into individual booths was interesting.

In the homework area, the Kids Coach checks whether homework is finished, and children move to the play area once they are done.

'I think I can leave them here with peace of mind.'

My initial anxiety as a parent was largely resolved at this point.

Professional attention to creating a place for each of the twins

And above all, what left an impression was the expressions on the children's faces. Everyone looked truly happy.

My twins are no exception. My daughter, who isn't shy, jumped into a circle of older children as soon as we arrived.

On the other hand, my son, who takes a little time to get used to new environments, didn't leave our side at first.

As a parent, I was naturally concerned. Will he be okay? Will he be able to fit in properly?

Watching this, the kids coach naturally sat down next to my son. Instead of forcing him into the circle, they engaged him in conversation, gradually drawing out his interest.

Before I knew it, my son had started playing among the other children.

They don't lump them together just because they are twins. They observe each of their personalities and change how they interact with them accordingly.

As a parent, I felt a great sense of relief at such attentive care.

When we were leaving, and both of them said in unison, "I want to come back here!", my heart was leaning heavily toward it.

Intending to go once a week, but feeling moved toward three or more

Actually, before the tour, I was the cautious type.

Just getting used to elementary school life will be hard enough. I thought we should start with private after-school care just once a week.

That is what I had been thinking.

However, as I listened to the explanation, those feelings gradually changed.

If you become a regular member for three or more days a week, the services and support you can use expand significantly. Even more attractive than that was the abundance of experiential opportunities for the children.

They go to the park daily. They do arts and crafts. They do cooking. It is designed not just to look after them, but to "enrich their after-school time itself."

Furthermore, there are plenty of events such as vegetable harvesting, career education programs, and summer camps.

The day I happened to visit was the day of their monthly night event. It was originally supposed to be a sleepover, but it seems it was changed to a day trip due to a typhoon.

Even so, the children were very excited about the plan to eat dinner together and go to a public bath. The children seemed nervous yet happy about the extraordinary experience, and I was a little envious.

I want my children to have experiences they cannot get at school or at home. This environment fit our family's values surprisingly well.

The reality of "100,000 yen per month"

On the way home after the tour, my husband and I were naturally talking about the costs.

A regular course for three or more days a week. For two twins. Pickup and drop-off options. Event participation fees.

When we got home, spread out the materials, and did a rough calculation, my husband and I looked at each other in surprise at the number that came out.

...Isn't this a 100,000 yen per month course?

Honestly, it's expensive. It was an amount that far exceeded the image I had of after-school care.

We could go on trips. We could even add more extracurricular activities.
It is by no means a light fixed cost.

Yet, strangely enough, it didn't end up being a conversation about how it was impossible.

My husband and I were in agreement: 'It's expensive, but it's attractive, isn't it?'

I was moved by the experience programs and the way the kids' coaches interacted with the children. My husband valued the pick-up and drop-off system and the operational structure.

We were looking at different points.
Even so, the final conclusion was the same.

Partway through, I stopped being able to think of this money simply as 'after-school care fees'.

Having homework supervised.
Having a community of different ages.
Having a place to be during long school breaks.
The child being able to have various experiences without the parents having to plan events every time.

Thinking about it that way, this money is an educational expense, and it is also a cost to buy time for the parents.

That is precisely why it is so difficult. The more value I feel, the harder it becomes to decide easily.

The final remaining anxiety: 'switching costs'

However, one anxiety remains.
Splitting time between private after-school care and public after-school care.

Three days a week at the private one. The rest at the public one. In theory, it works.

But what about in reality?
Will the child get confused about which place they are going to today? Won't the management burden on the parents increase?

In April, when just getting used to elementary school life is hard enough, will we really be able to manage it?

When I was thinking about such things, I made an unexpected discovery. A friend from the piano class my child currently attends was actually attending this after-school care.

Next, I think I will try asking that mom. About the real-life operations that aren't in the brochures or at the information sessions.

Not 'ho-katsu' (nursery school hunting), but 'gakudo-katsu' (after-school care hunting). With this visit, our feelings have tilted significantly toward 'wanting to enroll'.

The question is whether we have the resolve to keep paying 100,000 yen every month for that value.

I think I'll worry about it just a little bit longer.

(To be continued in the hearing with experienced moms section)