Afterschool Programs - new info?

I have seen this discussed a few times here and there, but I am hoping to get some feedback from people about after-school programs that you are using now in the Broadlands area, preferably ones that pick up from Mill Run.

I have not been too happy with what I saw at CASA, so I am really wondering if the various Martial Arts programs are worth it (and how much they cost?). I know YMCA started at Mill Run this year but what about other neighborhood choices? Any feedback or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

I'm still a huge fan of Phoenix TKD, going on 6 years now! my 7th grader is about working toward his 2nd degree black belt, and has learned a lot of respect, discipline and compassion from his masters there. http://www.phoenixtkd.net/xe/

some friends of ours use Dragon Yong In by Safeway and are happy too...

 

Do most of the Martial Arts places charge by the month, week, or semester? For after-school, I would expect that they are all similar in cost, is that right? From the little research that I have done last week, it seems hard to get prices over the phone... like buying a used car.

 

we pay per month, and days that school is closed or out early is included (check which program that applies to- we do 3 days a week with after school pick up.)

i don't have a price comparison since we've never used anyone else,

and i don't know what we pay- The Man pays the bills!

 

My kindergartner goes to Dragon Yong In two days a week and they charge us every other week.

 

We are at Top Kick part-time, a Mill Run bus drops off the kids. We've been pleased with them and our son has enjoyed it. From talking to some friends who go to a place over in the area of the new Golds, Potomac Swim Club, etc., Top Kick is a lot more disciplined. Whether the tkd is top notch, I honestly can't speak to that since it's all new to us. But within the 1.5 years our son has been there, it's a 100 times better for him than CASA would have been. And the program isn't too large, so that's a bonus for us/him. Like someone else mentioned, we have free days included for the teacher holidays; just not typical holiday holidays. For this year, we paid up front last spring and I think it's about $105/week for up to 3 days/week; last year we paid weekly for the same PT and it was $120/week I think (??).

HTH!

 

I have a friend who really likes this place, too. Dad and son both go there.

 

My son is in 3rd grade- he goes to Topkick Broadlands 5 days a week afterschool. We pay $150 per week. They do offer a discount if you pay upfront for the whole year (not sure what it is though)
The instructors are great. This is my sons first expierence with TKD and he absolutely loves it. We really could not be happier, it is well worth the price for peace of mind (after care) and for building my sons confidence levels and skills in TKD.

 

Something to check when asking about the pricing: do they charge "testing" or "advancement" fees. That's something I find very annoying. I'm paying a certain amount per week and then once a month they want to charge me an additional $55 to promote my son to the next belt level.

 

Not sure if it's because my son is part-time or just not keeping up, but he usually only has belt tests every 3 months. It's $50? for each one. This is at TopKick.

 

My son only started in September as a white belt. I wonder if the lower belts advance at a quicker schedule? Either way, my husband is planning on talking to the owner about it. We both think it's excessive.

 

it's totally normal to charge for tests- never heard of a school that didn't charge for testing. at Phoenix testing is only based on when the student is ready to advance, not a time line. that's something I like about them- they won't set a kid up to test and fail just to take the parent's money and make them pay and test again for the same belt...

i haven't heard that complaint about any specific schools in ashburn- but as a general indictment of "black belt factories" that test you regardless of readiness...

 

He's advancing when he's tested - it never occurred to me that they would test him before he was ready.

 

they probably DON'T test him before he's ready- i've heard nothing but good things about the schools around here except ONE that we dealt with personally. it shall remain nameless. you'd be surprised at what some will do in the name of a dollar though...

 

Our daughter has been attending Williams Martial Arts and Fitness (near the Bloom/CVS) and we will be sending our son there next year when he goes to Kindergarten. They charge monthly which includes pick up from the school, testing/belts, and your child is allowed to take as many classes as he/she wants. My daughter now wants to learn how to spar so she is also taking two classes on saturdays back to back, the latter being the sparring class. She really enjoys it. During the registration period (starts in June), they offer discounted rates the earlier you sign up. Since the school year has begun, the current rates are: 5 days--$349, 3 days--$264, 5 day Kinder--$600, and 3 day kinder--$400. They also offer camps during school breaks that have an additional fee. My daughter got advanced quickly through the lower belts last year (which occurred roughly every 3 months), but now that she is a low purple, I think they are tougher on advancement. We have been pleased so far and the staff knows my kids well. A drawback that I can think of is that it seems to be a large program, although I'm not quite sure how big other programs are in comparison.

 

Sorry, got my numbers wrong. 5 days a week is $374 per month.

 

hey folks, if anyone is STILL looking for after school care- please PM me.

 

Any new recommendations on after school care servicing Mill Run? We did TaeKwonDo last year but I'm considering switching. Not looking for another TKD program.

Also - anyone have feedback on Mill Run CASA? Anyone enroll their children there in the last year or two?

Thanks

 

CASA at Mill Run is pretty much "controlled chaos". Not horrible, as the ladies there really do try...but with 45-50 kids it's allot. Having a younger child (boy) in the program (K and 1st grade) may have been a little different experience since they didn't have as much homework, reading time, etc. and mostly just played and ran around. The cost was very good in comparison to the Karate / TKD type places. But we are planning on sending him to one of those this year for a little more discipline / structure.

Hope this helps. PM me with any other questions.

 

When I attended Guilford Elementary in Sterling back in the early 80's CASA was always crazy. It never changes. Parks & Rec tries hard with CASA, but it is, as ssabaste said, "controlled chaos."