Finding before and after school care while parents are at work is becoming a typical part of back-to-school planning these days. Yet, there remain many obstacles. What to do if transportation is not provided to and/or from a wrap-around program you're comfortable with? And, for those with "non-traditional" family dynamics, try finding a daycare center that will provide care on an every other week basis when you're trying to work out a shared custody schedule. Just filling out an application can be a headache when there is only space for one home address and one home phone number and the child has two homes. Isn't it ironic that when statistics indicate that more marriages end in divorce than not, the way school systems and child care programs are designed can still make a shared custody situation seem like an oddity? While this is slowly changing, it still seems such institutions have not fully caught up with these trend just yet. Even when things are going smoothly, even the basics can get a little complicated. Just trying to figure out when and where one's children should get on and off the school bus from day to day can be frustrating!
The best we can do is to network, make the most of our social contacts and local resources and when possible KEEP THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN with our kids dads.
