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| What's New at the Ballston
Area Community Center
Complete the application and return with a $10. Family fee and $25 registration fee per week your child will attend. The registration fees are applied to weekly tuition. Parents with SPD(Sensory Processing Disorder) children are invited to a connections support group which meets the second Wednesday of the month at 6pm. at the BACC. BACC is raising funds for a new playground! Cantact Kathi Leigh for volunteer opportunities! The Spring 2007 Parent Satisfaction Survey Results are in! BACC KinderKlub and School Age Child Care Parent Feedback Survey, April-May 2007 Summary Sixty-eight questionnaires were returned for a response rate of 57%. The survey showed that parents are overall very pleased with the child care services BACC provides. Parents rated various aspects of BACC’s services on a scale from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). Average scores for each dimension of service ranged from 4.0 to 4.6 (see below for details), with an overall average of 4.4. Many positive comments focused on parents’ high regard for the staff, the “friendly atmosphere” and BACC’s convenience and reliability. The majority of respondents also reported that BACC was helpful in supporting their children’s academic achievement, social life, and involvement in extracurricular activities. The large majority of respondents (90%) believe BACC’s rates are reasonable. What do you like most about BACC? Staff: The number one response as to what people like most about BACC is the STAFF! Comments included, “The people who work at the center are wonderful,” and, “My child loves everybody.” Another parent wrote, “I like the staff and how they interact with the parents,” Others noted that they appreciated, “The kindness and understanding when an emergency arises,” the “staff’s positive attitude,” and the “fun, friendly atmosphere.” One concluded, “It’s a wonderful facility – but the staff are what make the programs so successful.” Convenience: Convenience ranked a close second in terms of what parents liked most about BACC. Parents mentioned the excellent hours of operation, the two convenient locations, and the coverage during snow days and vacation days. Security: Security was also a common theme. One parent commented, “I feel very secure and know my child is getting the best care from great people.” Another stated, “You guys are so reliable and I trust you with my children – which is a great relief for a working parent.” How would you improve BACC services? The number one response as to how parents would improve BACC services was to add a greater variety of activities, and more staff. Other suggestions included longer hours of operation, especially during the summer, and adding a playground. Parents also reported low awareness of parent involvement opportunities. Methodology BACC staff and board members developed the one page, 2-sided questionnaire, borrowing some questions from existing tools. Eleven questions employed a 5-point Likert scale (1 = poor; 5 = excellent); Six questions called for Yes/No responses. In addition to 3 open-ended questions, all questions included an open-ended “comments” line. Questionnaires and pens were placed on clipboards and left in a central area in the BACC facility, and at the Milton Terrace site. Over a three week period, staff and board members encouraged parents to complete the questionnaire. Some board members volunteered to sit by the front desk during “rush hour” to encourage parents in person. Flyers were also posted. Questionnaires were completed anonymously, and placed in slotted boxes by respondents. A goal was set to obtain questionnaires from at least 50% of parents. Opinions regarding BACC’s teen center programming were not solicited for this survey. Detailed Findings Overall Satisfaction Overall parent satisfaction is high. 1 = Poor 5 = Excellent Over-all satisfaction with the program’s content and quality: Average Score: 4.5 Comments included, “I’ve recommended the program to others,” and “My kids never want to leave.” Overall atmosphere at BACC: Average Score: 4.5 Parents reported, “Friendly, good communication from staff,” “Fun and happy place,” and “Kids seem very happy and get along very well.” Does your child seem happy with the program? Yes: 94% No: 0% Other/Didn’t answer: 6% Written comments included, “He is very happy,” “Absolutely,” “Loves it,” and “Very happy.” Two comments indicated that their children do become bored and would like to see a greater variety of programs. Satisfaction with Staff Parents think the staff do a very good job. The staff’s child care skills and teaching abilities: Average Score: 4.4 Comments included, “Very pleased,” and “My kids love the staff.” The classroom staff’s professionalism, approachability, and politeness: Ave. Score: 4.6 One parent wrote that staff are, “always very helpful, great attitude.” Management staff’s professionalism, availability, and program knowledge: Ave. Score: 4.6 Eleven of the twelve written responses were positive and included statements such as: “Great,” Approachable,” “Wonderful,” “Great staff,” “I wouldn’t ever replace them.” One response expressed concern that a management staff member was not always available at pick up time. Support for Children Parents report that BACC helps children to succeed socially and academically Does your child do homework while at BACC? Yes: 43% No: 29% Not often: 2% In KinderKlub: 21% Other: 6% Of the parents who answered “Yes” or “No/Not Often” and whose children are not in KinderKlub, 58% circled “Yes.” The majority of the comments indicated that their children did homework at BACC or were being helped to do homework by staff. One parent wrote, “Very helpful!” KinderKlub children do not usually have homework. How well does the program complement your child’s academic program? Ave. Score: 4.1 The comments were divided into two distinct categories. The first distinct grouping of comments believed that it is not BACC’s responsibility/function to provide educational-based programming. The other distinct grouping of comments was in favor of having programming specifically directed to enhance the children’s education. In addition to these two groupings of comments there were others that complimented the staff’s overall attempt to provide educational assistance. One parent wrote, “I like that they follow the kindergarten schedule of learning in their class.” Does BACC help your child to participate in extra-curricular activities? Yes: 54% No: 24% Other/didn’t answer: 22% If “yes,” would your child be able to participate in as many extra-curricular activities without BACC’s help? Yes: 24% No: 29% (20 children) Doesn’t apply: 47% BACC assists some children in participating in extra-curricular activities by escorting or arranging transportation to or from school and BACC. According to the survey results, about 30%, or an estimated 40 BACC children, benefit from this service. The one written comment was from a parent who was not aware that this was a possibility and who was interested in participating. Does your child have positive relationships with other BACC children? Yes: 90% No: 3% Other/didn’t answer: 7% Though the vast majority of parents answered “Yes,” one parent expressed concern over their child being with older children. Two parents commented that they were not really sure. BACC’s Operations Parents think BACC fees are reasonable and hours of operation are excellent. Are BACC’s program fees reasonable? Yes: 90% No: 3% 6% did not answer Suggestions included, “Should have more of a discount with 2 or more children,” and “Payment books with due dates would be helpful.” Program’s hours of operation Average Score = 4.6. A number of parents expressed a desire to have the summer program hours extended stating that parents maintain the same hours all year round so with reduced summer program hours their schedules become tight. Of the remaining five comments, four expressed gratitude at the flexibility and range of hours offered and one comment expressed a desire to see longer evening hours for people working in Albany. Adequacy and cleanliness of facility Average Score = 4.2 The overall rating was high, though some parents commented about the smell of the gym, the upkeep of the bathrooms, and a desire to see the facility disinfected more often to lessen the amount of child illness. There were two positive comments; one complimented the teachers on decorating their rooms and another that simply stated “always immaculate.” Parent involvement opportunities: Averaged Score = 4.0 Of all the ranked questions, this ranked the lowest, though it still fell towards the “excellent” end. The majority of the written comments mentioned a lack of awareness of parent involvement opportunities. Two comments mentioned a lack of time as reason for not being more involved. The variety of activities offered at BACC: Average Score = 4.3 There were seven written comments to this question and five of the comments expressed a desire to see a broader base of activities to include a playground, a theme during adventure weeks, and different field trips. One comment expressed lack of knowledge of the activities offered. Are there other programs you would like to see at BACC? Comments included the following suggestions: soccer, academic programs, structured martial arts, and possibly some adult oriented programs. Additional comments included recommendations on improving the quality of our offered snacks, and providing an outdoor playground. There were seven “No” or “NA” responses out of twenty two total comments. The
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