Daily Academic Support Systems (DASS) has worked out really well for my 8 year-old son, Aiden. He started when he was in first grade. He will be returning for the 3rd year in the fall, and I will be enrolling my daughter who will be six.
Initially, I had reservations about enrolling my son in DASS. The program has ~40 kids with many of them older - up to high school age. I was concerned that my 1st grader was too young, may not get enough attention, and would be bored spending all afternoon doing homework from 2:30 until 6pm.
My concerns quickly went away because Marian Kong, the program director, is great. I would recommend DASS to parents who want affordable after-school homework support. And here's why: 1) My son gets help from a tutor for his homework. I don't have to spend time helping him with homework after a long day at work. It's done. 2) He is learning Chinese. A Chinese tutor comes in 2X a week and he is picking up some basic Chinese. (And he seems to enjoy it!) 3). Marian communicates well with the parents and keeps a close eye on the kids. I can either ask her to help Aiden focus on an area that needs work, or she would proactively let me know what he needs to work on or how he is progressing. They also provide additional worksheets for the kids to work on if they are done with their homework. I like her approach - with a Chinese academic focus but also balanced with the American individualized learning. She works with kids based on their individual needs. My son loves to read. So not only did she encourage him to read on his own, she had him read with other kids to help them develop more interest in reading. It also helped him build his self-confidence. 4) They are located across from the library - easy access to books (more reading). 5) There are actually many kids his age there. Aiden loves the free play time, and enjoys playing a variety of games including chess, puzzles and hide and seek. read more