Classes For Kids

Orly Regev, mother of three and owner and founder of Orly’s Treehouse, recommends some things to think about when you’re ready to enroll your child in a class or after-school program

Whether your child is a baby, toddler or school aged, there are a number of factors that you need to consider before registering for any class, program or after-school activity.

The first and foremost, make sure you are choosing a program that you can commit to bringing your child on a weekly basis. As most programs run for a number of months, you want to make sure the class is located in a reasonable driving distance from your home and that you have no timing conflicts.

Consider whether the program offers adequate flexibility for make-up sessions. Since you never know when your child will get sick, be sure to ask specifically what the program’s make-up policy is.  A reasonable make-up policy should offer at least 3 make-ups during the session, and there are some programs that will offer an unlimited number of make-ups.  The last thing you want to do is have to pay for classes that you don’t get to use.

Another important factor to consider is the variety of classes the center offers. A child’s interest in certain activities can change in just few weeks. A child who really wanted to do karate can decide just after a few weeks that he wants to do gymnastics, or a baby who is participating in a crawler’s gym class can start walking and need a more advanced class.  In these cases, facilities that offer more than one type of class and allow you to switch during the sessions are the ones to consider.

Orly’s Treehouse is located at 1000 Shames Drive in Westbury and is a child-recreation center, educational facility with babysitting services, health club and spa.  For more information or to view class schedules, visit Orly’s Treehouse at www.OrlysTreehouse.com or call 516.333.2277.