Who we are…

 

We are a small Out Of School Care (OOSC) program in SE Calgary, licensed by the province of Alberta.  We are committed to serving the needs of working parents who desire quality child care for their school age children.   We currently offer before and after school care to students of Douglasdale School in grades 1 to 5.

 

Where we are…

 

During the school year we are located within Douglasdale School in the community of Douglasdale.

 

400 Douglas Park Blvd. SE. Calgary, AB.

 

How to contact us…

 

Our phone number is (403) 269-7837 (269-STEP)

Our email is astepahead123@hotmail.com

 

Our mailing address is:

A Step Ahead

Suite 143

315 – 5155 130th Ave. SE.

Calgary, AB. T2Z 0N3

 

Our program…

 

We provide a safe place for kids in Grade 1 to Grade 5, to play, relax, and have fun during their ‘before and after school’ hours. We strive to create an environment where everyone feels accepted and valued by modeling respectfulness, empathy and consideration of others. We nurture each child's self-worth by listening thoughtfully, acknowledging their feelings and supporting their efforts.

 

We encourage imagination, curiosity, and camaraderie with conscientious programming aimed at providing children with an abundance of opportunities to explore their world creatively, try new things, be active, and strengthen positive social skills. Our goal is to see all of our students relish the joys of childhood.

 

Activities…

 

Kids are encouraged to share their ideas and interests and help us plan fun things to do!

 

At Step Ahead, Children have the opportunity to engage in:

 

Centres: These are self directed activities, where children have access to a variety of different materials, toys and activities such as art and crafting materials, games and puzzles, building and construction toys, drama/dress-up.

 

Rotating stations: A wide variety of activities and centres that are available for a week or two at a time and includes things like carpenty, sewing, take-apart, music, geology, nature, sculpting, etc.

 

Loose Parts: An opportunity for kids to create anything they like, using novel materials, that change regularly.

 

Outside and park play: We endeavour to get outside everyday, for unstructured free time and fresh air.

 

Gym: Group games and challenges, dancing, running, and playing.

 

Leader guided and Structured activities: Adult led activities are also available and include craft and art projects, science experiments, drama activities, baking, investigation stations, gardening, group games, sporting activities, clubs, etc.

 

 

Days of operation…

 

Out of School Care starts on the first day of school in the Fall (late August/ early September) and runs to the last day of school June. We are open all days that students have school and offer full-day programs on many days that students have no school. (Please see "Important Dates" information for details.

 

Hours of Operation...

 

Full Day programs: (days with no school) we open at 7:00AM and close at 6:00PM.

 

School Days:

 

We open at 6:45AM for before school care, closing once students are dismissed to go to class.

 

After school care begins at the end of the school day (3:30PM or 11:45AM on Friday) and we close at 6:00PM.

 

Fees…

 

Registration fee- $100. This is a one time-fee for the initial enrollment of any child. This fee applies to both school age and drop in care.

 

School Age Care (Grades 1 to 5)- $510/month.

This entitles families access to before school care, after school care, and full-day programs and care on PD Days, early dismissals, teacher’s convention etc. In addition, no fees or surcharges are levied for field trips or extra activities during the school year. Parents pay a flat monthly fee and are welcome to use the care they need whenever we are open.

 

Kindergarten Care - Please note, we are unable to offer Kindergarten care, due to their half day schedule.

 

A bit more about our fees:

Some folks are disappointed that we do not offer part-time rates, or 'before only' or 'after only' options. We do our fees differently than other programs but hopefully we can explain why that is and why we use a 'membership-based' fee model.

 

At our program, parents pay the flat rate and are welcome to use whatever care they need for the month, whenever we are open. While we are aware flexible work schedules means some parents need less child care, we have endeavoured to keep our fees lower, so parents who need child care 2-3 days a week will still gain value from a regular registered space, and flexibility to accommodate child care needs that may shift when parents have greater work or personal commitments.

 

Comparable programs do offer 'component' options for 'before school only' or 'after school only', but often these part-time fees are as much or greater than our 'full-time' membership fee. Our flat montly fee allows parents to access care for any of the hours we are open and is the most equitable way we have found to fairly accommodate the wide variety of unique situations and schedules each family has.

 

As an example:

Family 1 needs care from 8:00am to 4:00pm everyday.

Family 2 needs care from 7:30am to 5:00pm but only 2 days/week.

Family 3 only needs after school care each day to 4:30pm.

Family 4 needs care from 8:00am to 5:00pm, but only every second week.

 

All of these families need approximately the same number of hours of care each month, but it's difficult to customize a fee structure for every situation and make it equitable or logistically practical for registrations. A flat fee means all families pay the same and no one is penalized for having a longer work day or rigid schedule.

 

Drop-In Programs…

 

Drop-in care is intended for families who need occasional care throughout the school year or a few days in a month and must be booked in advance to confirm we have space available for your child to attend.

 

 

Before School only: $35

 

School Day 3:30 dismissal: $45

 

School Day 11:45 dismissal: $60

 

Full Day Program: $70

 

Interested in registering? …

 

We frequently have a wait list, so we recommend contacting us at your earliest convenience at astepahead123@hotmail.com or 403-269-7837.

 

Please let us know when you are interested in starting and also include your child’s name, age, grade, parent’s name, emails and best contact phone numbers.

 

Once we receive your email we will get back to you as soon as we can. No fees or forms are required until we are able to offer you a space in our program.