Quality Check-In Time
Check-in is a critical part of the afterschool program day. It is your first chance to welcome students into the program and provide some relief from what may have been a stressful school day. Unfortunately, it is very easy to overlook the importance of check-in time. When students arrive are your group leaders rushing around getting snack ready or collecting supplies for the day? If they are you need to train them to do things a little differently. Here are some simple changes you can make to your check-in to completely change that first impression for the afternoon.
Arrive early
Schedule your staff to arrive at least 15 minutes before the students arrive. Make sure they have enough time to collect their supplies, organize their clipboard, prepare their table and prepare snack. Everything that needs to be ready, should be completely ready when students arrive.
Greet Students
Are your group leaders standing at their table or assigned area when students arrive? They should be. Train your group leaders to greet each child individually, using their name, when they first arrive. They need to strike up a little bit of conversation with students and ask about their day. Really devote some time to making students feel special when they get to your afterschool program.
Give Down Time
Just as adults want to relax for a few minutes when they get home before starting on dinner or chores, students want to relax, too. Give about 10 minutes for students to just sit and chat when they arrive to the program before you start making any announcements or sending groups off to their assigned activities.
Giving students time to relax and creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere for them when they arrive will help make your afterschool program something that students look forward to. This can boost your attendance and reduce behavior problems because you have created a calm friendly environment where students want to be.
