UMADAOP Magazine

After school program helps at-risk kids get ahead 21st Century

School administration tracks the grades of all students enrolled in the 21st Century Community Learning Center program. After School Program Director Beth McIntyre supervises learning centers at two elementary schools, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary, and Williamson Elementary Schools. Within the first few months of this school year, the number of students passing each subject area with a “C” grade or better has seen the following improvements:

% Passing with a “C” or better

% Passing with a “C” or better by January, 2016

“For elementary, homework completion is key,” McIntyre says. “If they’re turning in homework and doing it correctly, then it follows they’re going to do well on their tests, and their grades will go up.” The Elementary School 21st Century Community Learning Centers exist in communities with poverty rates exceeding 95 percent. In addition to academic support, the 21st Century Community Learning Center provides youth leadership development programs, career/college readiness, and recreational activities, such as field trips, McIntyre says. The program also works to engage parents.

Four days each week, around 30 elementary school students gather after school to continue doing what they’ve done all day — learn. The Youngstown UMADAOP is one of many schools across the nation that operate 21st Century Community Learning Centers. After School Program Director Beth McIntyre oversees two elementary school sites under the 21st Century Learning Center program. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the 21st Century program is designed to create spaces for children to learn outside of school hours; the program specifically targets high-poverty and low-performing schools. Kids arrive after school and typically begin by enjoying a snack or meal, McIntyre notes. Then, the elementary school kids devote one hour to their homework.

33% 51%

33% 66%

Math

64% 76%

69% 83%

Language Arts

Williamson Elementary

M.L.K. Jr. Elementary

Creative funding In addition to focusing on improving academics, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers also work to provide nutritious meals to families when possible. “This is necessary,” McIntyre says. “Because sometimes you don’t know a family’s situation.” The section of the 21st Century Community Learning Center program that focuses on kids in grades 3-6 receives funding from a Community Development Block Grant, as well as other funding sources. The 21st Century program also offers a parallel program for kids in grades 6-8. While in its origin, this portion of the program for older kids was supported by a federal grant of $200,000 per year, funding from this grant tapered off in the last two years. McIntyre says she works to receive support from the community. When McIntyre hosts families, she uses caterers that typically discount their costs as a way of supporting the program and meeting the needs of the families. With these funds, McIntyre says she’s able to serve parents a nutritious dinner, such as chicken and salad. “ For elementary, homework completion is key. ”

When her program wasn’t able to have a space in the school gym due to after school sporting events, McIntyre says she found a nearby church that allowed students in the program to use their gym once per week. The local church even provided kids transportation to and from the church. “Our expenses were minimal,” McIntyre says. Transportation represents one of the biggest costs for the program. The elementary school students require door-to-door transportation. “Our transportation cost is $100 per day, per bus,” McIntyre says. “And my sites typically have one to two busses.” Staffing represents the other significant expense for the program. McIntyre says the program has partnered with Eastern Gateway Community College to allow students to work as tutors, using federal work study dollars. “That’s wonderful because the student and college are committed to work with the kids. This has resulted in expenses that we did not have to incur,” McIntyre says. McIntyre says she plans to continue the 21st Century Community Learning Center program with different sources of funding when the current grants end.

Learning made fun The 21st Century Community Learning Center seeks to enroll kids who have grades below a “C,” who have had difficulty passing state testing, or have other at-risk factors, such as a short attention span, McIntyre says. The program works to make learning fun. McIntyre says the students are fortunate that the elementary school kids are permitted to use the laptop cart. Students also have access to the computer lab. The learning center attempts to incorporate technology when possible, McIntyre explains. “We try to avoid doing worksheets,” McIntyre says, instead, the center focuses on fun learning games. Students play games that also enforce learning to keep them interested, McIntyre says. The program monitors the grades of students in the program. The center monitors both language arts and math grades; all sites saw grade increases of at least 12 percentage points by the end of January this year.

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-After School Program Director Beth McIntyre