WAYS OOSH began with the After School Care and Vacation Care program 5 years ago, and every year we have changed the offer to best suit the community.
WAYS develops mental well-being initiatives through education, physical activities, wellness services and also through having the ability for young people to interact with others in the community. WAYS OOSH is no exception, the after-school care program is an educational and physical activity service, where every term new activities are introduced. And Vacation Care is a school holiday minding service, where we excursion out to various location from Jamberoo to Sydney Zoo.
Physical activity has a huge potential to enhance well-being. Even a short burst of 10 minutes’ brisk walking increases our mental alertness, energy and positive mood, and combining this with social interaction both have the power to reduce stress and anxiety.
We caught up with Anthony who is our WAYS OOSH Youth Manager, to tell you more about what WAYS OOSH is and why we are different.
Please tell me a bit about yourself, Anthony?
I have been at WAYS for about three months. I have been extremely fortunate to work within private, not for profit and community based before, after and vacation care programs for 10 years. Within this time, I have worked within the field from an Educator on the floor to Operations Manager of multi-programs. The reason why I was intrigued by WAYS because the program is different to others I have worked for, it has so many elements of learning something new every term and has services like ‘Homework Help’ to help those busy families.
What makes the OOSH program at WAYS different?
The WAYS OOSH program is unlike any other. WAYS offers an educational and play-based program driven by the children’s interests. It is designed for the middle age group of 8-12 years, which allows the program to work within their current skills and interests to visit more suitable, exciting and new excursion locations.
The one thing as a parent to note is that this program is a supervised environment with qualified staff and can take your kids to surf, skating, jumping on trampolines, and they can also spend the afternoon with friends or local kids in the area.
WAYS is a great opportunity for children to progress into their middle school years confidently and independently.
At the moment, our most popular activity is skateboarding and now we have two amazing local individuals that instruct the safety of skating as well as take the kids to different skate parks in the area. Our instructor Stella started with us last year with a booked-out class and we are hoping to add a second day/class this year.
What is the goal for WAYS OOSH?
The goal of the OOSH program is to provide a safe, nurturing environment where children can learn, be creative, feel inspired and excited by a new challenge. Hence why we made LEARN, CREATE, INSPIRE, EXCITE our new slogan.
Why is it important for kids to attend After School Care programs?
After school care programs are much more than a babysitting service. They offer a wide range of activities that children may not have the opportunity to do regularly. They have qualified Educators who are passionate to drive them creatively and socially and to inspire them to be the best version of themselves.
An after-school care program is a great environment for children to feel they’re well cared for and at the same time learning and playing with kids in the area and with similar interests.
Social interaction has been proven to be good for brain health and development, and after school, care can give your child the full benefit.
Interested in learning more about the WAYS OOSH program, including after-school care and vacation care? Visit our website to check out the fees, activity schedule, and enrol.