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NEWS
from the West After School Center, Inc.

620 Garfield Avenue        Lancaster, OH  43130
740-653-5678  740-653-2402 FAX   Email:  westafterschool@westafterschoolcenter.org
Visit us at www.westafterschoolcenter.org

October 23, 2009

from the office of Dr. Paul G. Young, Executive Director

This weekly update is distributed via email to the WASC Board of Directors & Staff, Volunteers, School Staffs, Parents, State and National Afterschool Advocates, Providers, and Community Leaders

WE

ARE

21st CENTURY

COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS
 

Our mission to is provide programs and services that enrich the educational, social, and cultural opportunities of students in our community

See what we've been doing this week -- after-school, and meet some of the special people that make our programs work!

Children's Author Margaret Wolford (Newark, Ohio) will be visiting our centers in November and December

No Sugar Coating
by Margaret Wolford

"Alana thinks keeping a journal is just one more boring assignment until she realizes her life is anything but dull! Who really is Janamarie? Why does Kimmie act so strangely outside of school? Is making mashed potatoes that big of deal? Join Alana in No Sugar Coating as she solves a mystery or two, learns a lesson about friendship, and endures her mother's terrible cooking. A journal that at first seemed like a dumb idea becomes a place to record the mysterious, wonderful, and sometimes painful happenings in ten-year-old Alana Davis' life. No Sugar Coating may be her first journal, but it won't be her last."

Hear Ms. Wolford at the East CLC on November 13; WASC on December 4, the Cedar CLC on December 11, and the Tallmadge CLC (TBD) in January, 2010.

Cedar Community Learning Center

East Community Learning Center

Students at the East Community Learning Center enjoy working in the computer lab during their math rotation. Students work on websites that enhance and develop subtraction, addition, multiplication and division skills. Kent Kerns, academic coach (also a teacher at General Sherman Jr. High) prepares activities for each student. In addition to the math practice, students are using the computers to write pen-pal letters to an English school in Guadalajara, Mexico. We have coordinated with Lancaster alum, Serena Griffin, and five of her students to correspond via the internet and e-mail. We look forward to this project!  

Tallmadge Community Learning Center

We had a short week at the Tallmadge CLC because of the Fairfield County Fair, but we managed to fill it with plenty of activities.  On Tuesday we met with Big Brothers and Big Sisters and six students are matched with our "BIG" and eight more are being matched this week. On Wednesday, we honored our HEROES of the week, Maliyah White and Hope Kimble, two fifth graders who show us what being a HERO is all about.  Also on Wednesday, Diane Warner, and her son Andy, visited and introduced us to cup stacking.  Click on the video at right and see what we did!
 

CLICK HERE for our introduction to cup stacking

West After School Center

Our students always look forward to the weeklong art experiences with Ashly Draper

click HERE to see llamas visit the WASC

The children in the WASC A.M. childcare program enjoyed making Halloween books and stamp art this week.

Five local agencies take referrals for assistance for families during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Families must reside in Fairfield County and meet eligibility guidelines. Households may not receive duplication of services. If you need assistance or know families that do, share or use the contact information found to the right to get help.

Salvation Army - 228 Hubert Ave

Christmas Assistance

740-687-1921

Maywood Mission - 1029 S. Broad Street

Christmas Assistance

740-653-4458

St. Vincent DePaul - 424 Locust Street

740-653-6037

Christmas Assistance

Community Action - 1743 E. Main Street

740-653-4146

Thanksgiving & Christmas Assistance

Information and Referral

Thanksgiving & Christmas Assistance
740-687-0500

You can help support the

West After School Center

every time you shop at your local Krogers.  It's simple.  Just sign up and every time you shop and have your Krogers Plus Card scanned, a portion of the amount comes to the West After School Center. Encourage your friends to help us - and support our mission!

TO USE THE KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM:

1. Pick up a copy of the registration form from the WASC. It has the scanbar code on it.

2. Simply take the form to the Customer Service Desk at your local Kroger store. They will scan it and your Kroger Plus Card, and with 72 hours a percentage of everything purchased at Krogers comes to the WASC - between now and April 30, 2010.

Know someone that recently lost a job? There may be forms of assistance of which they may be unaware.

The West After School Center is a provider for the Ohio Benefit Bank. If you are in need of assistance related to childcare, food, health coverage or home energy needs, please call the WASC at 653-5678 and set up an appointment to do a quick check to see if you might qualify for help.

Wash Your Hands! Avoid the Flu!

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

Training Opportunities

Many of the area providers needs these required training opportunities to meet licensing requirements for ODJFS.  If interested in joining un  and taking advantage of local training, contact Chris Kuttler at the WASC, 653-5678, to reserve a spot.

Communicable Disease

Saturday, November 7, 2009, 9-3:30

at the WASC, $35.00

Child Abuse Prevention

December 5, 2009, 9-3:30

at the WASC

ADVOCACY, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, and COLLABORATION

Each afternoon across the U.S., 15 million children--more than a quarter of our children--are alone and unsupervised after school. The parents of 18 million would enroll their children in an afterschool program, if one were available. These are some of the key findings from the nation’s most in-depth study of how America’s children spend their afternoons. America After 3PM was sponsored by the JCPenney Afterschool Fund. The 2009 report, conducted for the Afterschool Alliance, surveyed nearly 30,000 households across the United States. The survey finds that 8.4 million children participate in an afterschool program, an increase of nearly 3 million children over the past five years. While this is encouraging, there is still work to be done. The number of children left alone after the school day ends has risen to 15.1 million children - an increase of 800,000 children - since the 2004 edition of America After 3PM.

Top 10 States for Afterschool Programs

Hawaii

Arizona

New York

California

New Jersey

Virginia

New Mexico

Florida

Texas

North Carolina

In Ohio, 851 households were surveyed for this study. Among those households, 34 percent qualified for free or reduced price lunch, 3 percent were Hispanic and 13 percent were African-American. According to U.S. Department of Education data from 2005-2006, the total school enrollment in Ohio was 2,015,421, which is the foundation for all statewide projections in Ohio After 3PM.
America After 3PM was sponsored by the JCPenney Afterschool Fund. Between March and May 2009, 29,754 parents/guardians responded to survey questions about their after school child care arrangements during the 2008-2009 school year. RTi, a market research firm, conducted the survey and analyzed thedata for the Afterschool Alliance. Additional information from America After 3PM is available at www.afterschoolalliance.org.

Ohio has significant unmet needs for afterschool programming. But comparatively, Ohio is among six states having made the greatest progress in afterschool participation

“States on the Move”

OHIO
Minnesota

Washington

Maryland

Oregon

Massachusetts

We thank Lancaster Police Chief Dave Bailey for joining our Lights On celebration and so eloquently speaking about the value of after school programs.

Listen and watch our Lights On After School Celebration on Fairfield Union Radio.com

http://www.fairfieldunionradio.com/

and our upcoming Healthy Living for Kids Show

Join us in Washington, DC.

Register now for the best convention for professionals in the field!

Click HERE for a link for convention registration.

Click HERE to see a glimpse of the workshop.

Research clearly shows that kids benefit from high quality extended learning opportunities. But creating and sustaining those programs, and effectively aligning students' after-school learning with the school day is hard work. The art of creating seamless learning experiences relies upon two key individual -- the principal and after-school program director.  We are fortunate in Ohio that the professional associations and agencies listed at the left have sponsored a train the trainer professional development workshop where best practices related to the development of these key collaborativerelationships between principals and after-school program directors are shared and can be further developed. If you have interest in this workshop, contact us. Involvement in this crucial conversation leads to effective programming for kids.

The Goals for our Television Program:

1. Create and sustain a community dialogue and awareness campaign that helps every individual learn to make healthy choices about what and how much they eat as well as how much daily exercise they get. 

2. Encourage children to engage in healthy and productive extra curricular activities at home and at school.

3. Teach families how to prepare foods and economical family meals and snacks.

4. Showcase the wealth of community resources and personnel that can help kids and families develop healthy lifestyles.

5. Demonstrate the positive impact and benefits that participation in before and after school programs can have on children's mental health and social development.

Our next Healthy Living for Kids Show features our staff and students talking about what turns their lights on about being involved in  after-school.  Check out the show's introduction HERE.

HELP KEEP THE LIGHTS ON AFTER SCHOOL!!

Healthy Living for Kids Planning Meeting, Monday, November 2, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the OSU Extension

Education and Vision Committee Mtg., Tuesday, November 17, 11:30 a.m. lunch with principals

WASC Board of Directors Meeting, Thursday, November 19, 9:30-11:00 a.m.

Healthy Living for Kids Planning Meeting, Monday, November 23, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the OSU Extension

Dr. Young at Meeting in Columbus

O-QAR Overview

Elluminate, 9-12

Dr. Young presenting Aligning the Learning Day in Oklahoma City with Oklahoma Elementary Principals and Oklahoma AfterSchool

WASC Leadership Team Mtg. with New Horizons

Happy Halloween

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Conferences

WASC Leadership Team Mtg

Quarterly Meeting

Vineyard Church, Westerville

including 21st Brown Bag Meetings

Dr. Young presenting in Kankakee, IL - Aligning the Learning Day with Illinois Afterschool Network

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Power of One Summit

Liberty Center - WASC Lead Team attends

WASC Leadership Team Mtg

Dr. Young presenting in Princeton, NJ - Aligning the Learning Day with New Jersey School Age Care Coalition

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