After School Programs in Oakland

7 parent questions ▼

Parent Q&A

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  • After School Programs near Piedmont Avenue Elementary

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    Dec 9, 2023

    Hello, we're considering enrolling our son in the TK program at Piedmont Avenue Elementary School. I know they probably don't have enough slots at the onsite after-school program, so which programs do the other children attend and how do they get there? 

    Dec 9, 2023

    We just did a tour of Colibri PreK on Piedmont Avenue for our (almost) 2 year old son and they mentioned that they have an after-school program for TK/Elementary school kids just up the street, also on Piedmont Ave. This is a Spanish Immersion after care, so not sure if that would fit what you're looking for. During the tour they said that if we send our 4 year old to Piedmont Ave Elementary, they pick up the kids after class is over and walk them down the street to their after care program, which I believe is open until 6pm. While we're not sending our 4 year old to Piedmont Ave Elementary, we might consider this after care program because we have heard great things about the preschool and we were really impressed during our tour. 

    Dec 13, 2023

  • After School Care for OUSD TK

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    Apr 26, 2023

    Hi Parents, Our daughter is going to be attending Melrose Leadership Academy for TK starting in August of this year. Not surprisingly, their  after school program has filled up already and we are looking for alternatives.  I am touch with the the after school program coordinator, but it has not been very helpful. Any advice? Hot tips? Thanks! 

    Apr 26, 2023

    I am not sure if MLA is a designated pickup school but East Bay Dance Center picks up from several schools and they said that if there are 4-5 kids from the school, they would considering picking up from that school.

    TK and K are such a difficult age for after school if you can’t find an on-site program. I am sorry you have to deal with this logistical hurdle. We were glad to find EBDC which helped us tremendously. Before that, we used Studio One but had to get a sitter / driver / ride which was rather tricky and expensive. 

    Apr 29, 2023

  • Town After School at FM Smith?

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    Jul 12, 2022

    Hi everyone-- we are looking at Town afterschool care at FM Smith, but have seen zero reviews. Does anyone have any experience with the program or Rec Center there? What did you think of the programming and staff there? 

    Thank you!

    Jul 12, 2022

    Hi! I'm hoping some parents with direct experience will weigh in, but in case not, this is just my perspective as a parent who is often at FM Smith while the kids from the program are playing outside. So I can't speak much to what the programming is like inside, but outside, the kids can basically just free play with supervision, or hang out with the staff. The staff are all pretty young and seem engaged with the kids--they'll play ball games with them, and bring them back into line if they are doing stuff they blatantly shouldn't be doing (but some little stuff slips by, as I imagine it would if you're dealing with hyper kids for a long time). Overall no red flags.

    Jul 13, 2022

  • Great afterschool options in Oakland for the 22-23 school year?

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    Jul 12, 2022

    Hello, 

    My kids go to Manzanita SEED, but their afterschool program is full. Does anyone know of afterschool programs in Oakland that are operating this year that you would recommend? At this point, we might need to accept that there will be no programs that do pick up, so I would like to find something really enriching, and especially spending a lot of time outside. Any leads are greatly appreciated!

    Sally

    Jul 12, 2022

    It's not in Oakland but the Kids In Motion program at John Muir in Berkeley often gets kids from other schools and is a great free-range, super social, fun loving program. Both my kids and my sister as a kid really thrived there. 

    Rachel

    Jul 13, 2022

    Studio One and East Bay Dance Center come to my mind. We have done both and my kid liked them. I believe EBDC may be able to pick up -- do reach out to them and confirm. Studio One is not mostly outside but does have some outside time and has dance. EBDC does have outdoor time but dance class is inside in a space with windows and doors open and an air purifier running. Kids n Dance also has an after school program. My kid really likes the circus / aerial arts there. 

    Jul 14, 2022

  • What are the afterschool options for children in Oakland?

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    Nov 2, 2019

    Looking for organized after school programs for kindergarten-age in Oakland. Open to all sorts but would like to know what you love about some of them. Also when do we need to sign up for such things?

    Thanks in advance.

    [Moderator Note: see After-School Programs in Oakland for past reviews]

    Nov 2, 2019

    Normally, your school would have options. If you are asking because your school options are full or you're home schooling, we have liked the following programs: Studio One, East Bay Dance Center.

    Nov 9, 2019

  • Before School Care Options for Oakland Unified

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    Jan 11, 2019

    I’m a single mom to my seven year old daughter who’s in Oakland Unified School District. Her school starts at 8:30 every morning but I need some sort of before school care for her because my work starts earlier than that. I’ve tried asking the school staff, emailing the district, contacting the local YMCA and BANANAS, but no one seems to have any solutions. Just curious to see what other parents in my situation have done. 

    I’m getting desperate to the point I’m trying to move to Berkeley or Alameda because their school districts offer more hours of care.

    Jan 11, 2019

    Hi, I know my child’s OUSD school has before care. He goes to Piedmont Avenue Elementary School.

    Jan 16, 2019

    I guess this must vary by school.  I have 2 kids in OUSD and our school offers a (paid) before care option starting at 7 am. We don't use it very often, but as a working parent, I can't imagine not having the option.

    Jan 16, 2019

    This is probably not as helpful as you would like it to be, however, I attended OUSD as a child and my mom had a similar situation. She reached out to the school staff where I would be attending to see if there were any parents of students who offered before school care or would be interested in earning money watching me before school started. It turned out there were a host of before and after school home daycares within walking distance of our school that were able to support her. None of them were free unfortunately. 

    Jan 16, 2019

    You don't mention which school, and it matters. Lakeshore Children's Center provides before and after care with van drop-offs and pickups to Cleveland and Crocker Highlands elementary schools. Historically Glenview too, but I don't know how that's working with the school's current temporary location.

    Jan 16, 2019

    My child is out of school, so my information may be out of date.  When my daughter was in school, and I spoke to parents with children at other schools, the before-school options varied from school to school.  Some had Adventure Time facilities on campus (my daughter's did) that opened about an hour to 90 minutes before the school day started.  You don't say which Oakland school your daughter attends, so it might be difficult for someone to make appropriate recommendations.  

    Jan 16, 2019

    Hi there - our school, Peralta Elementary, offers pre-care via the PPTG (Parent Teacher Group) Maybe something to talk to the PTG at your school about ?

    Jan 16, 2019

    Post a job for the before school time on Care.com or Localwise.com.

    Jan 16, 2019

  • After-care options for Glenview at Santa Fe

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    Jan 8, 2017

    We're currently going through the oh-so-fun process of OUSD school options for our soon-to-be-kindergartener, and I'm hoping to pick your collective brains about Glenview school in its temporary home at Santa Fe school.  We went to the school info night and LOVED the vibe of the school, particularly its diversity.  We live in the Glenview neighborhood, and really want to be part of our neighborhood school.

    The only thing giving us pause is the after-care situation:  on-site after-care is at Santa Fe while Glenview school is under construction, and getting to the Santa Fe campus by 6pm will be a challenge for us commuting parents.  We're interested in an after-care program that's closer to the Glenview neighborhood.  I'd love any reviews or advice you have on East Bay Dance Center or Dimond Rec after-school programs, or others.

    For those of you who use the on-site after-care at Santa Fe, do any of you with sensitive kindergarteners have insight on the mix of kiddos from all grade levels being together after school?  I have the impression that Adventure Time is a bit chaotic, but would love to hear from folks who know first-hand.

    Thank you in advance!

    Jan 8, 2017

    We are in our ninth year at Glenview and have been using Adventure Time all these years. It's wonderful and they have been so kind and gentle with my kiddos. The first few days of Kindergarten, both my kids just hung close to the Adventure Time teachers and eventually got comfortable enough to go off an play. I can't say enough about how much I love Adventure Time at Glenview -- and my kids have a great time there.

    In terms of getting there by 6pm, I would suggest you look into the East Bay Dance Center or Dimond. We have a friend who is using the East Bay Dance Center and really likes it. I don't know the details on it, however.

    Jan 11, 2017

    my son is a 1st grader at glenview and had been going to AT since kindergarten. he was a shy kindergartener, and I think AT actually helped him come out of his shell a bit by mixing with some slightly older kids. when he saw the 1st to 3rd graders around campus during the day they'd say hi and I think he felt like bigger kids were watching out for him! didn't have a problem with anyone running over him b/c he was younger. the staff do take extra care with the kindergarteners. I've been happy with the staff, how well they seem to know the kids, and the various activities they can opt in/out of. I'm glad he's gravitated towards both the sporty and crafty/arty activities. good luck - I think there are some great aftercare options whether on or off campus.

    Jan 11, 2017

    I'm also in the middle of the options process and hoping hard for Glenview (we live two blocks outside the zone and crossing every digit), but I do have an answer to your question. My daughter has been going to Lakeshore Children's Center for preschool for almost two years, and my younger daughter will join her soon, and LCC has a school-age after school program that does drop off and pick up from Glenview, even at Santa Fe (at least they currently do, I think it will hold since there are current students who will still be at Glenview). We really like LCC and one of my biggest fears is not getting into one of the schools they work with, since we know the program well and my younger daughter will also be there. It's on Lakeshore Ave and Mandana, so close to Glenview. Hope that is a helpful option!

    Jan 16, 2017