My Review of the afterschool program ICES/WRAP in Southern California

There were three main reasons that we moved to California after I finished my master's degree.

1)The job prospects in Georgia were non existent, and I had better hope for California
2) I had family in California, but I also did in Georgia
3) California has more resources for children, specifically free afterschool care in low income schools

It is very ironic that one of the main reasons I decided to relocate to California is for an afterschool program that after two years we are no longer utilizing.

My children have been involved in WRAP at their first school a K-8 which was closed down. Then they were involved in ICES at both of their new schools, one in elementary and the other a middle school program. The director of the last two ICES sites were amazing despite the challenges I have with the overall program.

The program is grant funded which limits the flexibility that the program has. One of the conditions of the grants is that children get an hour each of academic, physical, and enrichment. Children have to stay for the entire three hours. I believe this is so the program can get funded.

This means that if your child gets out of school at 3:40 they have to stay until 6:40. If they get out at 3:00 they have to stay until 6:00. This is saying that children will be better served staying at school until ridiculously late hours then enjoying what time they can with their family. The program does not serve dinner. So if you pick your child up at 6:00, there is little likelihood you kid is eating dinner before seven unless they are microwaving their food or getting fast food.

The program is designed to give children an hour of academic enrichment. During this time they can do homework, read, or play educational games as a group. It means that after a long day of school they have to keep their head in the game for another hour. Even if they finish their homework they can not go decompress by drawing or some other relaxing activity.

There is an hour of physical activity. Everyone must participate. So, even after PE, recess, and the whole having to learn things all day, you also have to move for another hour. I get it, our country is concerned about obesity, but a one size fits all program is not the answer. Also, pay attention to food not just movement.

Then the last hour is enrichment. How this is handled varies. Typically the kids get to join clubs for this last hour.

Here is my biggest concern about the program. It is so rigid that it does not allow flexibility for individual needs. As such it discriminates against children with special needs. While the program is held on school grounds and is responsible for upholding a child's IEP, doing so goes against their grant.  S's biggest problem is that by the time school ended she needed to check out and do nothing. She was done for the day. Except, that she was expected to keep on point at all times, they would not even allow her five minutes to calm down before making her engage again.

At our previous school, while creating a separate behavior plan for her, they had the gall to tell me that they knew exactly what it was like to go through her struggles. They then proceeded to tell me how horrible she was that she told a teacher that she hated them. The teacher would not allow S any time to calm down, or even rest - even naps are permitted in her IEP at school. Yet, this was not acceptable at the WRAP program because it violated their grant.

The expectations are not universal. Each teacher is allowed to have their own classroom rules. This would be ok, if the teachers did not change constantly throughout the year. Children are being constantly exposed to new rules, new teaching techniques, and are expected to instantaneously adapt. This has happened at every site my children have been evolved in.

 The late nights are ridiculous. L looses control around 4:30. I had to wait until 6:00 to pick her up. Which means it was 6:00 before she got her medication. After she had a panic attack in which she nearly jumped off the top of playground equipment, ran away from everyone, and nearly got her suspended from school they let me pick her up early. Except, we still had to wait for her brother and sister to be picked up at 6:40. When I explained the situation, they would not budge. It took another meltdown with her nearly breaking out all the car windows, yelling loudly for hours, me bleeding, her lost, before they finally began letting her brother and sister leave early.

It should never have had to got to that point to get accommodations for special needs.

My children despise the chaos of the ICES/WRAP program. J and S stopped going the very first day I started my new job. They were suppose to give me a few weeks so we can transition over, they were adamant that they were not going back and walked to my campus. S did not have that luxury. She finished out the school year. A teacher actually cheered when I said she was going to YMCA instead. This is the same teacher that decided that my child had an attitude problem. My daughter's typical teacher left without notice. The other teacher had to take three or four classes at one time. The previous teacher let S do her homework sitting on her desk - as long as she did her homework. This teacher yelled at her. My daughter stood up for herself and said that she does not like to be spoken to like that. She used her words, did not have a panic attack, and was then labeled as a problem child.

I was called three times that week to pick up my child. The other days my child was in tears with no teacher giving a damn. I tried to explain the stress of loosing her teacher that suddenly. I begged her to be allowed to go back to the teacher that she responded will to. The director said that if this happens again they can't handle her any more. When I talked to the director at my older children's school when we happened to run into him, he mentioned how my daughter was called a liability.

The staff is mostly collage students - but that is pretty typical at most after school places. The directors really do care about the kids. The program can do a lot of good. However, the inflexibility of the grant discriminates against kids with special needs participating in the program. There is also a lack of education from the director level on down. It may go higher. It is not for a lack of caring. I have the upmost respect for both directors trying to work with all of my children. The program itself is what fails for special needs children. It is sad that children with mild/moderate disabilities who need programs like this the most are the ones being let down by the program.

S is currently in the YMCA summer camp. The drop off periods are all free times, but the kids are relatively quiet and under control, even though they can do everything that they want. During the day there is a schedule, and everyone sticks to it. This does not meant that there may not be change, but everyone is informed if there is one. Overall S knows what to expect. There are several kids in the program with special needs. The kids that need space from other campers hang out around the check out desk. Some kids are regularly asleep. In the morning S usually goes to her space away from everyone. When I pick her up she is usually on the edge of the big crowd participating. Sometimes she is even instigating. Sometimes she is at the desk because she cannot handle the people. They listen to her when she tells them what she needs.

The end result - S LOVES CAMP! One morning this week she was having a reaction to some corn syrup in gummies her grandmother was giving her. Even when she was crying going on about how horrible I am and how I just need to leave her alone (I was prompting her to get ready) she still wanted to go to camp. Yesterday morning I accidently pulled into my work rather then her summer camp. I joked she could just come to work with me. Her first response was 'yes, can I?' followed by 'wait I want to go to camp'. The difference in my daughter is amazing.

S also did a year of after school care with YMCA. They worked with her amazingly well. It was always finding ways to make the situation better for everyone.

What is the difference between YMCA and ICES/WRAP - flexibility, control, and schedule.

Flexibility - they do not sweet the small stuff. If you need a break they get that. They listen to the needs of the campers, which only require small adjustments, but much such an amazing difference.

Control - ICES/WRAP is always loud and chaotic. Yes the kids are always safe, but they are also overwhelming. I have never seen the YMCA like this.

Schedule - I find it ironic that for the very outlined inflexible program at ICES/WRAP that no teacher does things the same way. Kids never know what to expect, or if their teacher for a group is even going to do anything that day. At YMCA my daughter knows there is a schedule, knows that it is going to be followed, and as such can adjust to small changes in it.