Afterschool Programs and Summer Camps. STAR Education
I always tell people that my kids are veterans of the Los Angeles area day care and enrichment programs. For the greater part of my daughters lives, I was a working mom. This meant that I needed after school care, summer child care and enrichment programs for them while I worked. There were times when I just enrolled them in the most convenient and cost effective program close to, or on their public school campus. Other times, such as during the summers, I'd seek out and drive my daughters to enrichment programs on my work route that I thought would be fun and help them learn a thing or two, or pique their interest in a discipline or skill. Here are a few programs my kids were enrolled in over the years.
STAR Education Providing fun enrichment after shool programs on the campus of some LAUSD elementary schools on the westside, STAR has expanded its offerings over the 9 years that my kids were enrolled in LAUSD elementary schools. At Overland Elementary school where my kids attended, STAR offered a ceramics program with the wonderful Chitra Pal who taught the kids how to make and glaze bowls, masks and sculptures out of clay. She took the kids' pieces home to fire in her kiln and returned beautiful created pieces for the kids to take home. Over the years hip hop, jazz dancing, cooking, chess, CSI, freaky science, and woodworking were a hit with my kids as well. The kids also enjoyed meeting the wild animals that were brought in from STAR's affiliate, STAR Ecostation, a wildlife rescue and museum located in Culver City.
My daughter took her first piano lessons with the lovely Heidi through STAR. She loved her classes but cried through her first recital because she was so afraid of having to perform. Less successful were the tennis and karate classes. My older daughter was so self conscious about performing publicly that she'd hide in the bathroom during tennis class and then made up a story about attending class to us. One day, Dave the tennis teacher asked why my daughter wasn't attending class.That's when I found out about her hiding in the bathroom. Okay, that's just my kid. It doesn't take away from the fact that STAR is a fantastic program.
Some parents mention that STAR is a bit pricey if all you need is after school care and not all the enrichment classes. For parents who work and have no choice but have their kids stay on campus after school, STAR is great. Through a special permit, our kids went to Overland Avenue Elementary in the tony Cheviot neighborhood where perhaps many affluent families lived, and picking up their kids right after school wasn't a problem. We had no choice but use the full extent of childcare offered.
I still cry over the memory of days when my husband and I were rushing back from work on the congested freeways to pick up our kids from school before the school closing time of 6:00 p.m. During the short winter days, my daughters would often be the last kids on campus, standing in the dark, with no one but a STAR teacher keeping them company and waiting for us. Thank you STAR.
STAR Education Providing fun enrichment after shool programs on the campus of some LAUSD elementary schools on the westside, STAR has expanded its offerings over the 9 years that my kids were enrolled in LAUSD elementary schools. At Overland Elementary school where my kids attended, STAR offered a ceramics program with the wonderful Chitra Pal who taught the kids how to make and glaze bowls, masks and sculptures out of clay. She took the kids' pieces home to fire in her kiln and returned beautiful created pieces for the kids to take home. Over the years hip hop, jazz dancing, cooking, chess, CSI, freaky science, and woodworking were a hit with my kids as well. The kids also enjoyed meeting the wild animals that were brought in from STAR's affiliate, STAR Ecostation, a wildlife rescue and museum located in Culver City.
My daughter took her first piano lessons with the lovely Heidi through STAR. She loved her classes but cried through her first recital because she was so afraid of having to perform. Less successful were the tennis and karate classes. My older daughter was so self conscious about performing publicly that she'd hide in the bathroom during tennis class and then made up a story about attending class to us. One day, Dave the tennis teacher asked why my daughter wasn't attending class.That's when I found out about her hiding in the bathroom. Okay, that's just my kid. It doesn't take away from the fact that STAR is a fantastic program.
Some parents mention that STAR is a bit pricey if all you need is after school care and not all the enrichment classes. For parents who work and have no choice but have their kids stay on campus after school, STAR is great. Through a special permit, our kids went to Overland Avenue Elementary in the tony Cheviot neighborhood where perhaps many affluent families lived, and picking up their kids right after school wasn't a problem. We had no choice but use the full extent of childcare offered.
I still cry over the memory of days when my husband and I were rushing back from work on the congested freeways to pick up our kids from school before the school closing time of 6:00 p.m. During the short winter days, my daughters would often be the last kids on campus, standing in the dark, with no one but a STAR teacher keeping them company and waiting for us. Thank you STAR.
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