As the number of children with special needs in Taiwan continues to rise, their education and care have attracted increasing attention from parents and educators. However, compared with the regulations and teacher qualification requirements in formal education, after-school care for children with special needs has received relatively little attention. Caring for children with special needs is particularly challenging, as they require multiple forms of support, including academic assistance, peer interaction, and behavior management (Chen, 2021; Haney, 2012).

Under current regulations, when public elementary school after-school care services enroll students with disabilities, schools are required to conduct individualized assessments in accordance with the principles of the Special Education Act and to provide services only when adequate support resources and reasonable accommodations are available. If necessary, specialized after-school programs for children with special needs may be provided. In contrast, some private after-school programs are reluctant to enroll children with special needs due to limitations in management capacity and teacher expertise (Ren, 2023).

Regulations governing after-school programs in Taiwan require child caregivers to complete 180 hours of professional training, of which only 9 hours are dedicated to special education (Ministry of Education, 2019, 2024b). Meanwhile, the number of children with special needs enrolled in after-school programs has continued to increase, with approximately 15,300 children with special needs participating in such programs in 2022 (Ministry of Health and Welfare, 2023a, 2023b).

After-school teachers commonly face challenges such as wide disparities in students’ abilities, insufficient teaching resources, and a lack of special education training, all of which increase the complexity of instruction (Wei, 2016; Yang, 2001; Chen, 2021). In addition, limited administrative support, staff shortages, and unequal resource allocation pose significant barriers to effective service provision (Yeh, 2023). This study aims to examine the challenges encountered by after-school staff and the strategies they use to serve children with special needs.

This study adopted a quantitative questionnaire survey to investigate teachers working in public and private after-school programs. The questionnaire was developed using Google Forms and distributed through social media platforms, including Facebook communities for after-school staff. To ensure data quality, respondents were required to log in using a Google account, and each account was limited to a single response. A total of 116 valid questionnaires were collected in this study. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software through both descriptive and inferential statistical methods.

The results indicated that after-school staff faced significant challenges related to the additional time and effort required to care for children with special needs. Large class sizes made it difficult to provide individualized homework assistance and to organize classroom activities effectively. In addition, staff reported insufficient knowledge and professional competencies, and the demands of long-term care often led to physical and emotional fatigue. Staff with more years of experience reported greater pressure related to class size. Public school special after-school programs for children with special needs demonstrated higher levels of professional competence, lower levels of fatigue, and greater access to resources. Regarding coping strategies, teachers commonly adopted approaches such as providing clear instructions and behavior guidance, enhancing interactive understanding with children, collaborating with colleagues, maintaining communication with parents, and seeking support from supervisors or specialists. Teachers with higher levels of educational attainment, as well as those working in northern and central Taiwan, were more likely to engage in parent collaboration, peer communication, and seeking assistance from special education aides. Overall, after-school care teachers face substantial professional demands and practical challenges when working with children with special needs, and notable differences in resources and coping strategies exist across institutional settings and staff backgrounds.

Chen, M.-K. (2004). A study on the current situation and needs of after-school care for children with disabilities in elementary schools in Taoyuan County (Unpublished master’s thesis). National Taipei Teachers College. Chen, Y.-J. (2021). A study on the service process and coping strategies for the difficulties in providing services to children with special needs in a private after-school child care service center (Unpublished master’s thesis). National Taipei University of Education. Haney, M. R. (2012). After school care for children on the autism spectrum. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21(3), 466–473. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9500-1 Ministry of Education. (2022). 2021 Special Education Statistics Yearbook. https://www.set.edu.tw/actclass/fileshare/default.asp Ministry of Education. (2024a). 2023 Special Education Statistics Yearbook. https://www.set.edu.tw/actclass/fileshare/default.asp Ministry of Education. (2024b). Reference program for pre-service and in-service training courses for after-school child care service personnel (amended on July 17, 2024). Official letter no. Tai-Jiao-She-(1)-Zi No. 1132402440. https://afterschool.moe.gov.tw/downloads Ministry of Health and Welfare. (2023a). Subsidy status of after-school care service classes for children. CRC (Convention on the Rights of the Child) Information Network. https://crc.sfaa.gov.tw/Statistics/Detail/48?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 Ministry of Health and Welfare. (2023b). Overview of after-school care service centers for children. CRC (Convention on the Rights of the Child) Information Network. https://crc.sfaa.gov.tw/Statistics/Detail/49 Regulations for the Establishment and Administration of After-School Care Service Classes and Centers for Children (amended and promulgated on December 5, 2019). Ren, Y.-Y. (2023, June 17). Insufficient after-school resources: How are children with disabilities cared for? Kaohsiung Education Bureau to pilot counseling classes during summer vacation. United Daily News. https://udn.com/news/story/6885/7241480 Wang, H.-C. (2015). A study on after-school care programs for children with disabilities: The case of elementary schools in Changhua County (Unpublished master’s thesis). Tunghai University. Wei, J.-A. (2016). A study on after-school care for students with disabilities in Hualien County: The case of Taiyang Elementary School (Unpublished master’s thesis). National Dong Hwa University. Yang, P.-Y. (2001). A survey study on after-school tutoring for students in special classes in elementary schools in Taipei City (Unpublished master’s thesis). National Taiwan Normal University. Yeh, X.-Y. (2023). A case study on the current situation and challenges of after-school care service centers for children with special needs (Unpublished master’s thesis). National Taichung University of Education. Haney, M. R. (2012). After school care for children on the autism spectrum. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21(3), 466–473. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9500-1