Keeping Kids on Course : Parenting: Finding summertime and after-school activities for children can be daunting. Experts recommend observing the instructor, checking credentials and gauging your child’s interest.

If only there were a Good Housekeeping seal of approval for the scores of children’s programs that parents have to choose from for after-school and summer activities.

But there is no accrediting body or credentialing organization for sports, music, art, dance or karate classes. Parents have to decide some other way.

Enrolling in these programs-- everything from ballet to karate, sculpting to trombone--represents an investment of time, money and energy. Some San Fernando Valley parents say they find themselves selecting courses only by trial and error, and just bow out if the teacher-student chemistry isn’t a match or if the child doesn’t seem to like the subject.

But, if a child isn’t excited by a course, it can tarnish an initial interest for years to come, says Arlinda Eston, chairwoman of the department of elementary education at Cal State Northridge. But experts say there are ways parents can size up the quality and the suitability of a program.

“The first thing to do,” says Eaton, “is to identify the reason for sending the child to a class or activity. Is this an enrichment opportunity? Do you feel the child has specific needs? Those answers will affect your choice.”

That’s what Teresa Halzle of Agoura did when her daughter, Catherine, then 2, seemed reluctant to try new things. “She wanted to be safe, didn’t want to be turned upside down,” says Halzle, 34, who found that enrolling her preschooler in a gymnastics class taught Catherine to relax with physical activities. Halzle is experienced in choosing classes for her two children, she says. Her daughter, now 7, takes dance three days a week and piano once a week, and her son, Joey, 6, is enrolled in baseball and karate. “I just look for people who work the kids hard but love them and enjoy them,” Halzle says. “Catherine’s dance class is way short of ‘Star Search,’ but she’s having fun and is exposed to a different kind of music,” she says.

The key with sports and other physical activities, say some, is to ask questions of the program directors before signing up. “We’re seeing kids placed in sports programs as young as 5,” says Mary Painter, assistant professor in CSUN’s kinesiology department. “What they need at the younger ages is to be taught fundamental motor skills--how to run, gallop, skip, jump--which translate later into sports skills. If children don’t learn these skills early on, we see a lot of kids dropping out of these programs as they get older.”

Painter argues for programs that are developmental, starting with basics and building on what is learned, with a focus on skill development rather than on winning. “Kids need programs that are instructional rather than competitive,” she says.

Painter says she is also concerned about children specializing in a particular activity or sport too early. “A young child needs experience in a lot of different movement activities. Early specialization is more detrimental than enhancing,” Painter says.

When it comes to team sports--like baseball and soccer--Painter advises parents to find out if the coaches get in-service training. “Parents need to ask just what is the training the coaches get, and what is the philosophy of the program,” she says. “They should ask if the program is instructional or competitive, and if possible, find out how the coach behaves in a game situation.” Painter says some coaches are not trained to work with children and treat them like miniature adults, an approach that is likely to put the kids at risk for early burnout with the sport.

For parents looking for swimming lessons for their children, experts suggest they start--if at all possible--with private lessons. According to Jay Breckell, a member of the physical education faculty at Los Angeles Valley College and manager for the community service pool program, new swimmers need one-to-one attention to learn the complex movements necessary to stay afloat.

Breckell also suggests that parents ask if the teacher has been Red Cross-certified and find out how long they have been teaching. Ideally, he says, the personality of the child can be matched with the instructor’s style. “Some kids seem to do well with more easygoing teachers,” says Breckell, “and some have better luck with the more strict and stern.”

Lessons, he says, should last no longer than 20 minutes for children up to age 12, and no longer than 30 minutes for those over 12.

The facility should be clean and well-maintained, says Breckell, and parents should ask whether they are welcome to sit nearby and watch the lessons. “It’s not a criterion for a good program, but if parents want to watch the lesson, they should check to see if they can,” he says.

At Valley College, Breckell says children are taught the correct strokes right from the start, so movements don’t have to be relearned later. He suggests that parents ask what the approach of the swimming teacher will be, and why.

For karate, the advice is similar. Roger Lacombe, owner and teacher at Canyon Karate in Agoura Hills, says parents interested in enrolling their children should go to the karate studio and watch the instructors teach. “See if the style of karate and the teaching philosophy feel comfortable,” he advises, “and make sure the owner is there and actively teaching.” Lacombe also suggests that parents look for a studio that teaches just one type of karate, because mixing the various styles can be confusing to children.

When it comes to music lessons, musicians say it can be hard for parents to evaluate a teacher, especially if the parents themselves aren’t familiar with the instrument. Ed Walker, manager of Baxter Northup, a Sherman Oaks music store, says parents should inquire about an instructor’s teaching history and experience in working with children. To find the right teacher--depending on the musical instrument--parents may have to be willing to drive. “You can’t assume you’re going to find a whole staff of teachers a block away from your house,” he says.

And while group instruction can introduce a child to a musical instrument, Walker says that it is not effective for the long term, and children will need private lessons soon after becoming familiar with an instrument.

“Parents should be open about asking anything of the instructor,” he says, “and good teachers will talk to parents, explaining what the child is working on and encouraging specific practice work,” he says.

With art classes, the advice is much the same. Dan Sonenberg, a spokesman for Everywoman’s Village in Van Nuys, suggests parents check out not just the instructor’s teaching style but also the materials available and the opportunity for the children to truly get involved in the art projects. “Many kids are satiated by television and bored by the typical classroom,” says Sonenberg, “and so they need an opportunity to be highly involved in what they’re doing.”

Sonenberg says that when it comes to teaching art, the teacher’s credentials aren’t important. What parents should look for is the teacher’s ability to work well with children, to give clear directions and to respond patiently to questions.

When evaluating other types of classes or instruction, Kathy Main, director of Pierce College’s community education program, says the most important factor is for parents to deal only with a reputable institution. “Then talk to other parents and find out what classes have been satisfactory and not, and why,” she says. Main also suggests parents look for small class size, 15 or fewer students, to ensure that good interaction between the teacher and the students can occur.

When reviewing a menu of courses a facility like Pierce College is offering, Main says it is important for parents to discuss the class options with their children and listen to their responses.

“We find sometimes parents enroll children in things they themselves want to take, and the kids aren’t interested,” Main says.

Walker agrees. “Sometimes parents tend to overload their kids. I wonder how kids can survive,” he says, and suggests that, above all, parents choose their children’s extracurricular activities with an eye to preventing overkill.