“For parents, after school care is about a place where they know their children will be safe and well-supervised, as well as giving their children opportunities to meet and socialise with kids from other schools,” Mayor Reg Kidd said.

Orange City Council offers after school care at various locations and the students are allocated a destination depending on the route their bus takes.

Children from Orange Public School (OPS), Bletchington Public School, Catherine McAuley Catholic Primary School and the small schools attend after school care at OPS.

“Children come to this program after a long day of concentration on lessons at school, so the aim is to deliver a balance between recreation and educational opportunities,” Cr Kidd said.

“If there are topics the children want to learn about, they have a say in choosing.”

To meet the growing demand, Catherine McAuley is in discussions with CentaCare to run a service separate from the other schools later in the year.

Orange Anglican Grammar School is ahead of the trend, providing after school care for up to 40 children, which is run on-site by Camp Australia.

A Department of Education spokesperson said they are aware of the increasing need for after school care. 

In 2015 the $20M Before and After School Care Fund was created to help establish services in both government and non-government schools.

The grant of up to $30,000 is available to schools for the establishment of new services and the expansion of existing services.

The spokesperson said the NSW Government will continue working with community representatives to seek solutions where there is unmet demand for care.