Recent FLYERS Experience? (Fort Mill, Riverview, Springfield: daycare, movies, schools)

[martikus]

The thread from 2008 is making me nervous that it isn't a great program.

Is anyone using FLYERS this year? Especially interested in PKES FLYERS experience?

We were thinking it would be more convienient to use FLYERS instead of Carolina Kids, but now I'm nervous that we should stick with Carolina Kids.

What are your thoughts?

[FortMillBound]

We are very happy with PKES Flyers. Not sure what you saw in an old thread, but my 2nd grader loves Flyers and hated Carolina Kids. CK was so crowded and noisy, there is much more room for the kids at PKES. Flyers has an elementary playground to use, the school gym and the cafeteria. They also set up playstations with a multitude of toys and art projects.

The only complaint my daughter has had about Flyers is the snacks. She hates just getting plain celery with no dip or filling sometimes. They sometimes have snacks she likes, then sometimes they get weird (or cheap) and plop out plain celery. We keep a snack in her bookbag for such occasions. They do allow the kids to eat their own snack if they choose.

Overall, I've found Flyers to be an affordable and convenient afterschool, and summer, solution. They will also work with the school when a child needs homework help (like mine).

Do be aware that they close a week at Christmas and Good Friday.

Good luck!

[DressageGirl]

My son was in OPES Flyers program last school year (3rd Grade year). It is a great program, the problem I was having is that he wasn't getting his homework done. They were in the cafeteria so was of course distracting when there were others that were not doing their homework and basically just gave them the choice to do their homework but wouldn't require it. They just have too much homework these days to wait until 6:00 pm. So I switched him to Field of Dreams thinking they would be better. They cost more but are no better even after I've asked them many times. The only thing that was better was that they have a seperate homework room but they dont' check that they have actually done it and the facilities are terrible!

So I am putting my son, assuming there is room, at the OPES Flyers for his 5th grade year. Hope that helps.

It is frustrating, I would be willing to pay more for a higher qualify after school program but there doesn't appear to be one in Fort Mill.

[Girl]

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I'd chime in to say that my kids are at PKES FLYERS and love it - they have a lot of friends there and enjoy the activities, especially during summer FLYERS. As DressageGirl said, the only real problem is they don't really push the kids to get their homework done, which can create some late nights.

I'll say this though - the Boys and Girls Club which meets at Riverview Elementary (and buses kids from other schools to its location) is amazingly good and DOES have the children work on homework before they do anything else. It's a great program, and if they had it at PKES instead of Riverview (which is further away from where we live) then I'd totally put my kids back in that program. They were in it for the first half of the last school year when I didn't turn in my FLYERS paperwork in time - I ended up waitlisted.

When we came to the top of the list, we moved back to FLYERS because my kids wanted to be with their friends. I kind of liked B&G better.

[plotzonit]

After a horrible experience with Field of Dreams, I fortunately had my child on the waiting list for FLYERS at FMES. This was a few years ago when childcare options weren't as common as they are now in this area. In the time my girl was at FLYERS we NEVER had ONE issue. She LOVED it. It blew my mind how good it was. A previous poster hit the nail on the head - the kids got to play in the gym and had access to a nice playground outside. They watched movies, played WII and different play centers were set up at tables in the cafeteria. The previous poster was correct that sometimes the snacks were good and sometimes they were not the best, but FLYERS is cheaper than actual childcare centers, which sometimes are more about looks and prestige than anything. FLYERS actually have better facilities because the program is run right out of the schools. How perfect! Now, in the case of homework, I can honestly say that at the FMES site my daughter had her homework completed 99% of the time before I picked her up - a Godsend because she's involved in a lot of activities. Their Summer program was excellent, too. They had nice field trips each week and went swimming at the Leroy Springs Complex. During days of no school in the Fall, they got to spend their time at The Dairy Barn all day, see horses, and play in the barn. They had other days, too, where kids could bring their bikes or scooters and they would have safety tests while letting the kids have some extra fun. That being said, I wouldn't hesitate to enter my child in the FLYERS program before even trying a daycare. I was surprised, though, to read anything negative about Carolina Kids, however. I have quite a few neighbors who have used them, some still do, and they rave about it. I almost placed my girl there, too, but FLYERS turned out to be exceptional for us. It's a lower cost, yet I feel a higher value. One year a teacher work day fell on the day before Halloween. FLYERS held a special party where the kids could wear their costumes, watch movies, eat hot dogs and ice cream and have a dance contest. I will never forget all the special things they did. My daughter actually misses it and seeing her friends. She really loved the staff, too (so did I!). If you do try FLYERS, I hope your experience is as good as ours was.

[SuzieQ.]

Springfield flyers is the best!!! Great communication skills with parents as well as teacher to students. Love their crafty abilities and judgmental skills on how to resolve problems. After a horrible day, Springfield flyers gets rid of all the stress and pressure that a regular school day puts on kids! Keep up the awesome work!!!