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Program to shine light on county’s after-school programs

Thursday, Oct. 20, 2005

A new initiative by Frederick County Public Schools is going beyond the final classroom bell to assist students and their families.

Today, three elementary schools will be among 5,000 other sites nationwide to celebrate ‘‘Lights On After School,” an event to bring awareness to the importance of after-school programs.

Frederick County will celebrate at the three Frederick Community Learning Centers located at Hillcrest, South Frederick and Waverley elementary schools. The centers’ programs aim to increase a child’s academic and personal achievement while empowering families to be successful.

‘‘We want people to know that we are a little different than other after-school programs,” said Cindi Burns, program administrator for the centers. ‘‘We are not just child care where someone is sitting and waiting for their parents.

‘‘We are offering opportunities they might not otherwise see, free of charge for students and their families.”

In addition to tutoring services already in place, the learning centers started offering a number of unique services earlier this year by partnering with several community organizations.

Partners include the YMCA, which provides art, theatre, fitness and sports programs, Way Station, which provides student and family counseling, and TeamLink, which offers training for students in self-esteem and leadership.

The school system’s own Office of Adult Education has also been providing adult literacy courses as part of the endeavor.

Congress made the partnerships possible through the 21st Century Community Learning Center federal grants, created in 1998. The focus of the grants is to provide academic enrichment opportunities for children attending high-poverty and low-performing schools.

After three unsuccessful attempts for the highly competitive funds, the Maryland State Department of Education awarded a grant to the Frederick County school systems last December, for $2.2 million during a five-year period.

Each year, Lights On After School is a nationwide celebration to recognize these types of programs with the goal of ensuring that all children have access to quality, affordable after-school programs by 2010.

In Frederick County, school officials will use today’s celebration as an open house to let community members know what kinds of opportunities they are providing at a crucial time of day for young people.

‘‘After school is when these kids get into things they shouldn’t,” Burns said. ‘‘This is also the time that parents really need a safe place for their kids to be. We’ve had parents come to us and say how they’ve been able to get full-time jobs because of the programs we provide, and we are excited to reach out to this population.”

Andy Nichols, director of programs for Frederick-based TeamLink, said that giving students these types of valuable after-school opportunities can make a big difference.

‘‘Some of these kids learn from their environment and we can expand that to something greater,” he said. ‘‘Whether it is with the YMCA, with TeamLink or whatever, it enriches the background these kids have and broadens that environment.”

As part of her work with Way Station, Shannon Harding works as a senior family support worker, linking home and school for children with behavior problems. She works with students who have numerous suspensions on their records and other difficulties that affect their state test scores and their home life by going into the classroom and into their homes to help.

‘‘A lot of these kids are carrying emotional baggage they don’t need at their age,” she said. ‘‘I’ll go into the home and work with parents... to give them extra support.”

Harding said schools taking the lead in providing quality after-school experiences is long overdue.

‘‘Having support from a person who can meet with the families and form a relationship is super important, ‘‘ she said. ‘‘Another set of eyes and ears at home to open up to is great, both for families and for administrators concerned about kids not performing in schools.”