After School Program Concept Statement
Families across the country are beginning to recognize the tremendous benefits a quality AfterSchool program can provide. Because they offer an array of activities not always available during the traditional school day, these programs give students many opportunities for growth and learning they might not find elsewhere. For example, at a time when many schools have had to cut or reduce spending on art and music programs, AfterSchool programs can offer kids the opportunity to paint, draw, perform in a dramatic production, play music, participate in a dance performance, visit museums, etc.
While most in the AfterSchool field would agree that supporting academic skills is an important goal for AfterSchool programs, they stress the importance of integrating academic supports into a larger program that also promotes the social, emotional, and physical development of the children they serve. There is accumulating research that AfterSchool programs, summer enable children who are behind to catch up. And added academics are not enough. Poor children need the kind of extras that advantaged children take for granted but that too many poor children don't get: sports and cultural activities -- like singing in choirs, dancing, visiting museums -- and going on organized excursions."
There is growing evidence from around the country that this approach is paying off. Children and youth who attend AfterSchool programs do better in school, and are safer and less likely to get into trouble in the hours after the end of the school day.
The Cabanne United Methodist Church AfterSchool Programs will enhance children's academic achievement. Participants in the AfterSchool programs will:
- show increased interest and ability in reading
- develop new skills and interests
- turn in more and better quality homework and can spend more time on task
The AfterSchool Programs will support children's social development and their relationships with adults and peers. Children who participate in the after school programs will behave better in school, have more developed social skills, and show more self-confidence as a result of the caring relationships they develop with adults and other students in the program.
As well as supporting positive goals, AfterSchool programs at Cabanne United Methodist Church can also lessen risky behaviors, such as drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, by providing young people with positive and healthy alternatives. The AfterSchool hours are the time that students are most likely to experiment with drugs, alcohol, and tobacco and engage in other unsafe or dangerous behaviors. When these kids have a place to go that is staffed by caring adults, they are much less likely to engage in this kind of unhealthy behavior. The middle school years are a time when kids are particularly vulnerable to peer pressure. By simply giving these kids an alternative, AfterSchool programs can help steer them in healthier directions.
AfterSchool programs will keep young people from committing crimes and from juvenile delinquency, and can prevent them from being the victim of violent crime. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the hours most likely to commit or be victimized by serious criminal acts. [FBI, immediately after school dismissal are when young people are the National Incident-Based Reporting System] In fact, the juvenile crime rate triples between 3:00 and 6:00 pm. AfterSchool program at Cabenne United Methodist Church will offer a safe and enjoyable place for young people who might otherwise find themselves in dangerous and unsupervised situations.
offer to the schools and the community?
The AfterSchool programs will strengthen schools, families, and communities. A key part of developing an AfterSchool program is soliciting participation from many segments of the community. When this process succeeds and communities come together to address the need for AfterSchool programs, new family-school-community partnerships can form, benefiting all involved. Research has shown that the when families become more involved with schools, the students in those schools do better. The creation of this AfterSchool program will spurred such changes in the community.
In addition, communities that use a community-based, collaborative approach to improving AfterSchool programs. Once members of a community see that they have the ability to work together to make positive changes, they can apply this skill to other pressing community concerns. A community where various members support and care for each other is a healthier community for everyone. The AfterSchool programs can help create true "community schools" that serve the entire community, not just school kids. Once communities come together to address the need for AfterSchool programs for children and youth, they are more likely and able to address the needs of other members of the community as well.
What kinds of activities should Cabenne United Methodist Church program include? The best programs offer a balance of academics, recreation, enrichment, and cultural activities. Just about any activity, from bird-watching to basketball, can be appropriate for the AfterSchool program, depending on how it is structured and whether or not it meets the needs of the community. The best programs combine academic, enrichment, cultural, and recreational activities but, there's no set formula for doing this. In an AfterSchool theater program, for example, children might learn about local history by researching and writing a play about their city or neighborhood. Youth sports programs that keep statistics on teams and players have a built-in math component. It's critical for this program, particularly those for older children, to offer a choice of activities.
In planning activities, we will strive to address the multiple needs, interests, abilities and talents of children and youth, recognizing that these change as children get older. Consider again that hypothetical theater program we mentioned above, where children have learned some local history; they might also be involved in arts (set design and painting), physical activities (mime, dance, or warm-up and stretching exercises), math exercises (distributing or selling tickets), nutrition and cooking (making snacks to sell during intermission), and, depending on their ages and on the themes selected for the play, discussions of social issues (honesty, kindness, or for older children, larger issues such as race or class). This might sound overambitious, and in fact, it would be difficult for any one program to incorporate all of these elements into a single project. The example serves, however, to illustrate just how many learning opportunities exist in each of the many activities that children enjoy.
The academic activities will be fun, engaging, and, ideally, will be coordinated with school-day curricula. Let's think again about that AfterSchool theater program. The children have been busy working on their script. They've been given a few books on local history, and developed a story line. Now, with the help of their acting teacher, they begin to revise the dialogue. "That doesn't sound like the kind of thing a mayor would say," says one girl. The teacher directs her first to a thesaurus, and then to the Internet to look for the text of recent speeches given by the mayor of her city. Other children rewrite sections to make them more exciting, to get the audience's interest. After a few rounds of revision, the entire group is charged with the responsibility of checking spelling. Without knowing it, they have been engaged in a writing workshop of sorts, and the result is a script written collaboratively.
Not all academic activities will be this creative, but they can be conducted in an intentional way that provides support and encouragement for students.. Bearing in mind that they have already been through six hours of schooling, children need a way to differentiate their AfterSchool learning time. Tutoring and homework help will be more effective if children work in very small groups or, ideally, one-on-one with teachers, tutors, and volunteers. Some of the most successful outcomes in AfterSchool programs occur when students who feel they get lost in the large groups of the school day find a single adult who will help them with math, reading, or other problem areas. The Cabenne United Methodist Church AfterSchool programs will offer the possibility of the kind of individual attention all students need and deserve.
Other ways will be developed to make academic enrichment enjoyable to children. Some might want a quiet place to read independently, especially if this is not available at home. An array of educational games will be available; phonics bingo, counting games, and simple science experiments are all fun for children when presented in a relaxed and nurturing environment.
Activities centered on a specific project can will provide challenges along with fun. AfterSchool activities work best when they tap into children's natural inquisitiveness and playfulness. Activities that seem like play can, challenge children to use their problem-solving abilities, enabling them to learn new skills and understand new concepts. Activities will have clear boundaries, and lots of possibilities.
Activities will meet the developmental needs of students, especially for downtime, for nutrition, and for letting off steam. It's unfair to expect children to sit up straight and keep listening quietly at the end of the In order to achieve the many goals a good AfterSchool program will have, day. To ensure success, physical activities will be built into the schedule at appropriate times. A nutritional snack will be made available to children when they are hungry. Activities will differ depending on the developmental needs of the children or youth we serve.
United Methodist Church AfterSchool Program
Investment Club: To prepare youth from low-income families to function successfully in our economically complex society, we help young people gain hands-on experience managing money by participating in an Investment Club. Each youth invests $5 as part of the group decision-making process, and all profits or losses are shared equally. A separate fund serves as an initial investment resource.
Parents will be invited to attend monthly meetings but the youth will take the lead in decision making. Experienced volunteer advisors teach basic investment concepts and processes, and ongoing analysis for all buy-sell decisions. In addition to financial knowledge, youth learn foundational skills such as doing research, planning, group dynamics, conflict resolution and critical thinking.
Learning Is our Greatest Hope for Tomorrow (LIGHT), a daily, AfterSchool academic program, provides minority students with the extra support and services that empower them to succeed in school and in life. In a unique personal and cultural context that schools are unable to provide, LIGHT will offer:
- individual academic assessments
- tutorial assistance
- educational workshops
- enrichment field trips
- special speakers
- monitoring of school progress
- advocacy
- role models
Special speakers will address relevant topics such as: Resolving Conflicts with Teachers and Study Skills. One-on-one interaction with tutors, program leaders and speakers gives the students opportunities to do problem solving in regard to academic and personal issues.
Nefertiti Sisters: "Developing our Inner Beauty" will be the theme of the Nefertiti Sisters, a Rites of Passage program with an African-American perspective, designed to help teenage girls develop into young women. The theme is derived from the translation of "Nefertiti," which means "The beautiful one is here."
The program goals are to promote participants' healthy physical, mental and spiritual development by encouraging positive relationships, self-esteem, academic advancement and understanding of their culture. Nefertiti will assist girls in making the successful transition to womanhood by providing positive role models, group discussions, recreational activities, and cultural and artistic experiences, and by encouraging goal setting.
Male Responsibility (MR) is a Rites of Passage program with an African-American perspective, designed to help adolescent boys grow into responsible young men who contribute positively to their community. The program will provide a safe, culturally relevant forum for exploring issues of concern to middle-school boys, as well as opportunities for healthy bonding among peers and adult males who serve as role models for the youth.
The boys meet weekly with adult leaders and special speakers to discuss topics related to education, health, integrity, self-respect, conflict resolution, sexual and economic responsibility and career options. They enjoy occasional enrichment and recreational field trips and learn to give back to the community through service projects.
DREAMS, a tutoring, mentoring and social development program for boys age 5-18, that will meet Saturday mornings. The emphasis is on solution-focused mentoring, tutoring, asset development, leadership preparation and family development training. DREAMS stands for:
Do all that you can do to improve yourself.
Realize the potential within yourself.
Expect great things from yourself and your neighbors.
Assist those who are in need.
Motivate yourself and others.
Strengthen your mind, body and soul.
Youth Golf and Mentoring Program: The program will introduces at-risk elementary and middle school boys and girls to the wholesome game of golf and uses this connection to develop ongoing positive mentoring and peer relationships. While learning about golf, the youth gain life lessons in ethics, patience, honesty, fair play and integrity. The program will include six weeks of instruction; practice on city golf courses; field trips to tournaments.
"Race to Read," will be is about kids having fun! Fun through reading, that is! By way of unique and innovative program elements, Race to Read will encourages children, young adults and even adults to read. The program will use music, skits, poetry, demonstrations, science, stories, and pets all in collaboration to show how fun reading can be, and to highlight the unexpected things one can learn by reading.
