Evaluating Afterschool Programs (part 2 of 2)

“When I approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments; tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become.” Louis Pasteur

Children are our most precious commodity, and as parents we strive to give them every possible advantage we can provide.  But when we begin to enroll our children in all the activities that will give them an advantage – we soon learn a valuable lesson; TIME is also a precious commodity, and a limited one too!

It’s easy to overschedule your child.  I literally know 6 year olds that have a busier schedule than mine. While afterschool programs and activities have great potential for educational value, we need to make time for ‘kids to be kids’, and to give them plenty of opportunity to play and explore in an unstructured, unscheduled environment.  This makes choosing the right programs and a good balance of programs for your child an important and sometimes difficult task.

As the mother of four children, it’s safe to say I’ve enrolled in my share of activities and programs and have learned a few lessons along the way.  To chose afterschool activities for our children we need to consider their age, learning styles, interests and developmental needs. We need to consider what skills they may already have in their lives, and what skills they’re lacking – and find the program that will improve on the ‘lacking skill’ in a way that’s also enjoyable to your child. 

For example, my own son has always been a very active child and chose sports and physical activities as his energy release from a full day in the classroom. Athletics came very naturally to him, so they were always his top choice for afterschool activities. But I also understood that because he was so active, he needed activities that developed his focus and pro-social skills in alternative and engaging ways. Having grown up in THE Young Rembrandts house, Matt fully expected to officially enroll in Young Rembrandts classes. He began at age 3 and continued through his elementary years of school. I could see the many ways Young Rembrandts classes helped him develop his patience, his ability to problem-solve, his ability to focus on the task at hand, and a love of art all while having fun drawing.

In short, these are some basic things to consider as you choose afterschool activities for your children.

• Children need a balance of pro-social and physical activities. As visual, verbal and social learners, they need a variety of opportunities to fully develop. You don’t want to overload your child, so chose the activities that have the highest ratio of fun, education and development value.
• After school activities are a great place to help your child develop in new ways. Look for a balance between activities you know they enjoy already, and activities that will help them develop new skills and abilities.
• Look for programs that support and enhance their classroom education, without duplicating the experience. Chose programs that enforce the academic goals but approach the learning from a fresh and engaging angle. For example music and structured art can help children do well in math.
• Who’s teaching your child in this program? Can they manage a group of children, can they teach (and teach well) and most of all do they make a positive influence on your child? After all, this is an extra-curricular activity; your children should come home from their activities feeling good about what they’ve accomplished, and feeling great about themselves.
• Make a reasonable time commitment to any activity. It is better to excel in a few skills than to have a shallow sampling of many, and therefore excel in none. Once you and your child have carefully evaluated and enrolled in an afterschool activity, have them to commit for the entire school year, or a reasonable time frame for that particular activity. This teaches your child follow through and allows your child to maximize the full educational benefit of the program.

Evaluating Afterschool Programs (Part 1)

 As more schools and communities respond to the need and the benefits of after-school programs and more programs become available, the question isn’t do we need programs, the question becomes what type of program is going to make the most impact, and what qualities do parents and administrators need to look for in choosing a program for their children and students.  In other words, what works?

 

The Promising Afterschool Programs study, refernced on my post “Engaging” After-School Programs Make a Difference examined 35 programs, selected for their record of success and considered by the researchers to be “high-quality.”  In order to determine whether a program fit the mold, the study used a rating system which assessed programs based on:

• Evidence of supportive relationships between staff and child participants
• Evidence of rich and varied academic support, recreation, arts opportunities, and other enrichment activities
• Students typically were highly engaged with one another and with program activities
• Group leaders structured activities to maximize learning and positive relationships.
• Adults facilitated activities without imposing controls that limited student learning opportunities.
• Disruptive or chaotic behavior was rarely observed; when behavioral disruptions occurred, leaders managed them calmly and constructively

Fortunately increased interest in evaluating after-school programs has spawned the development of comprehensive evaluation tools.  Administrators can now use surveys, such as the ones highlighted in  Using Assessment Tools to Evaluate Afterschool Programs, published by American Youth Policy Forum.

Evaluating a program for a parent – is a different, more personal story.  Check into our next post for what parents can and should look for in an after-school program.

 

What it Means to Be a Mother

1902 — by Mary Cassatt —

 

This week we celebrated an important day on the Hallmark calendar…Mother’s Day.

This weekend I was preparing a message to share at church as we honored and blessed the mothers of our congregation. I came across this quote from a famous American:

“My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.” George Washington

Mrs. Washington raised a godly, moral man of high integrity that led a country through the struggles to become a free nation, and continued to lead as its first President. Her young son became a man of profound influence and impact. As mothers, we are also raising children that will become adults that will impact this nation and potentially the globe.

Among the many tasks we perform daily; cooking, cleaning, packing lunches, shuttle service, playing games and wiping tears, we know there are larger more critical lessons being learned. Mothers have a special ability to see who their children truly are, and provide opportunities and situations to help them develop into the unique individual they are meant to be. Mothers are the embodiment of unconditional love, encouragement, safety, truth, forgiveness and infinitely more.

To be a mother is one of life’s highest callings. Know that the many ways you give, love and serve everyday are valued, honored and critical to the future of this world. Be refreshed, encouraged and blessed in all you do.

 

“Engaging” After-School Programs Make a Difference

I came across this study in the Child Care Exchange newsletter this week.  This is one of the most comprehensive studies I have come across in terms of the benefits of after-school programs.  School-Age Programs Matter May 1, 2008 Disadvantaged students who regularly attend top-notch school-age care programs end up, after two years, academically far ahead of their peers who spend more out-of-school time in unsupervised activities according to findings of an eight state school-age study. The Promising Afterschool Programs study, reported in Education Week (November 28, 2007; www.edweek.org), examined 35 programs, selected for their record of success, serving 2,914 students in 14 communities stretching from Bridgeport, Connecticut to Seaside, California. Education Week described how the study worked…“…Researchers divided students into three groups: §a ‘program only’ group of students who attended their afterschool program two or three times a week and did nothing else outside the school; §a ‘program plus’ group who visited the afterschool programs two or three times a week and also took part in sports, church programs, music lessons, or other extracurricular activities; §and a ‘low supervision’ group who dropped in on a mix of afterschool activities from one to three days a week. The researchers found, over the course of the three-year project, that the more engaged students were in supervised afterschool activities, the better they did on a range of academic, social, and behavioral outcomes. For instance, 3rd and 4th graders in the ‘program plus’ group tallied gains on standardized mathematics tests that were 20 percentile points higher than those of children who rarely went. The frequent attenders also made more progress in developing sound work habits, task persistence, and better social skills, and in reducing negative behaviors such as skipping school or fighting.”

Developing a Love for the Masters

This weekend as I walked through our local library I saw many families and youth enjoying themselves and all that the library has to offer. It reminded me of the many weekly trips I made to the library’s youth and children’s room with my own children. After we read and played and gathered our materials from the children’s rooms, we would make a stop in the adult area in search of our next treasure; a book on a famous artist or art style. Each week we would choose one master artist and check out a book full of vivid images and amazing stories. Once at home, mom or dad had custody of the valuable and expensive book of prints, so when the time came to gather around and look at it, my children saw this experience as a privilege, and a time to enjoy the world of new images together.

Looking at different kinds of art is a tremendous way of expanding our children’s awareness. We all become comfortable with the kinds of images around us, but in our comfort we can miss opportunities to expand our vision. You do not have to understand every kind of art you look at, the key is to look with an open mind. Once you do this, you can gain understanding and interest in a variety of styles – even styles you may not have understood or appreciated before.

When you look at art and artists with your children, encourage non evaluative language. Talk about line and shapes and colors and how they relate to each other. Ask them how the image makes them feel, what do they see when they look at it and what stands out the most in the image for them. You will hear some very interesting comments and their exposure to different artists will stimulate their own creativity.

These are some artists to “check out”: Van Gogh, Degas, Picasso and Cassatt.
N.C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth, and Jamie Wyeth represent three generations of artists. Consider, Homer, Titian , Michelangelo and especially Rembrandt.