By Tamra Taylor, Superintendent, Live Oak School District
Children benefit socially and academically by being engaged in interesting and engaging after school activities. The Live Oak School District offers two after school programs at its three elementary schools. These programs, Child Development and After School Education and Safety, serve different students for different purposes.
The Child Development program serves students in Kindergarten through fifth grade and is offered on a sliding scale for parents who may need child care after school while they are still at work or attending college. The After School Education and Safety (ASES) program serves students in Kindergarten through fifth grade who have been referred to the program to receive extra academic support and/or need a safe and stable environment until 6 p.m. To be enrolled in the no cost ASES program, parents must commit to their student attending a minimum of 15 hours per week, and must stay until 6 p.m., unless a special circumstance arises.
Both programs include supper, homework help, outdoor physical activities, and enrichment programming such as science, art, movement through music, taekwondo, computer time, and cooking classes. One exciting health education program offered in our after school programs is Nourishing Generations. Chefs and fitness trainers come to each campus once a month to provide hands-on activities to all 4th and 5th graders. Students prepare a healthy recipe to enjoy together and this recipe is sent home with students for them to share with their families. They also participate in yoga and other novel types of physical engagement. The purpose of this program is to offer children a set of rewarding health education experiences that will help them make healthy choices.
One of our primary goals for students is that they be able to interact positively with their peers. We accomplish this through explicitly teaching students effective social and emotional skills that, when mastered, will help them navigate challenging social situations throughout their lives. In support of this goal, after schoolteachers engage students in Second Step activities.
The Second Step curriculum is a program designed to develop the social-emotional skills of students and is taught during the school day as well.
The use of the Second Step curriculum during the regular and after school day is one example of how the Live Oak School District has sought to integrate the after school experience for our students. As opposed to limiting the after school program to a particular set of buildings or space on the school campus, they are welcome to use the school’s facilities including the multi-purpose room, computer lab, and playground. In addition, after school teachers consult with regular school day teachers to check in on a student’s performance and discuss how the after school program can best support that student’s needs.
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Though ASES is closed during the summer, the Child Development program offers a full day winter, spring and summer camp when school is not in session. The Child Development summer camp is separate from our summer school program, which is offered to students in 1st through 7th grades on an invitation basis determined by academic need. This year’s summer school, Summer Safari, will run June 22-July 16 from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (including lunch) at Green Acres Elementary School. Invitation letters will start to go out this month.