WEST AFTER SCHOOL CENTER
NEWS & OPINION

May 2008

Our mission is to provide opportunities that enrich the educational, social, and cultural experiences of students and families in our community.

620 Garfield Avenue, Lancaster, OH  43130

 740-653-5678  --  740-653-2402 FAX

Email:  pyoung@westafterschoolcenter.org

Visit us at www.westafterschoolcenter.org

Dr. Paul G. Young, Executive Director

Mrs. Jane Hart, Student & Family Coordinator

Mrs. Julie Bibler, Tutoring Program Administrator

Mrs. Chris Kuttler, Office Manager

We Thank Our Volunteers

              Help us celebrate a great school year with our students and volunteers on May 12, 13, 14, or 15. We plan to have special treats and keepsakes and share special time and highlights of the year. Particularly, we would like all volunteers, parents, and teachers to attend on May 15, 4:00 p.m. Our students have been served by nearly 100 volunteers throughout the year, and many of them have multiple years of experience with our program. Help us thank them all!

WASC Will Be a Sponsor of the

Summer Food Program, Starting June 3

Plan now to take advantage of the free summer lunch program being offered Monday-Friday during the summer months, 11:30-12:30 p.m. The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federally funded program that provides meal reimbursement to child care centers for serving nutritious meals. The objectives of CACFP are to:

· -- Improve the diets of children by providing nutritious meals.

· -- Help children develop good eating habits that will last through the years.

Again, ANY CHILD under age 18 can participate, regardless of enrollment status for the school lunch program.

SUMMER LUNCH OPEN SERVING SITES

West After School Center, Eastside Center for Success, Robert K. Fox Family Y, Tallmadge, South, & Cedar Heights. Lunch served from 11:30-12:30, Monday-Friday. Sign up now for special recreational and summer learning programs.

Tallmadge Before and After Child Care (Tallmadge Community Learning Center)

       Barring any unidentified obstacles, the West After School Center will expand child care services to the Tallmadge Elementary attendance area for the 2008-2009 school year. An initial needs assessment  and parent survey have shown significant interest in both before and after school care as well as extended kindergarten opportunities. Families that qualify for Title XX childcare support can enroll under a co-pay system developed with Fairfield County Job and Family Services. Participation rates will be made as affordable as possible.  We are pleased to be working in the Tallmadge area and to further expand our mission and address needs within the city of Lancaster.

News from the Cedar Community Learning Center (a 21st CCLC program)

The Cedar Community Learning Center partnered with the Girl Scout Troop at Cedar Heights Elementary School for an Earth Day Project at the school. Students, parents, and staff created a new flower bed for the school's front lawn, planted flowers, and mulched to add curb appeal to the school from busy Cedar Hill Road.  Check it out as you drive by the school. Learn more about the Cedar Community Learning Center at:  www.cedarclc.org

The West After School Center — at 10 Years

Once you have passed numerous birthdays, you realize that many of your beliefs remain constant, some will change, and others will disappear altogether. As an example, in 1997 when the West After School Center was still a dream as a place to extend learning time for challenged students in a low-performing school, several visionary community members helped focus that dream into a reality.  They believed that volunteer mentors could positively impact young students’ lives—and that the program could be sustained and remain a constant benefit within the community. Where other initiatives and programs come on strong then wither away, the West After School Center grew. The charter members of the Board of Directors   helped others acquire their vision, change and evolve it to make it better, and through that process constructed an independent community center unique in communities like Lancaster. Another constant—and perhaps the most vital one—has been the support and service from dozens of volunteers. The students, hundreds of them since 1998, have grown, changed, and moved on to secondary schools and beyond. But their experiences remain positive and their progress continues.

What else have we learned as those years passed by? Our visits to after school programs in other cities helped affirm that our support from the Lancaster community is exceptional. We also experienced issues and challenges like other program providers and learned to change and adapt to make things work for our unique setting. Most importantly, we discovered that kids want to learn, and given time and a warm, welcome smile and an enticing environment, most will discover the joy of learning and enjoy positive interpersonal relationships that lead to success.

Once our facility was constructed, we learned that we had to expand our outreach into the community beyond the West School neighborhood—or fail. The facility would not fulfill its potential if it was not fully utilized. That realization created struggles and challenges that evolved into tremendous opportunities. Through the toughest times—and there were tough times—the volunteer members of the Board of Directors took a wide look at themselves and our community and stood constant in their belief that what we had built would never go away—nor would or could we ever stay the same.

             In 2008, our vision and mission are clear— provide opportunities that enrich the educational, social, and cultural experiences of students and families in our community. To do that, the “dream” continues to evolve and includes plans to develop before and after school programs in schools within the city and beyond where they are needed and wanted—by students, parents, school leaders — and the community. As we continue to grow, we will develop further collaborative partnerships that bring the dream of a better quality of life and learning to reality in our community.

            The West After School Center is bigger and encompasses more than anyone person alone can do. It is a community success story. It is a force that motivates a community to grow, to reflect on its core values, to change to meet current needs, and to provide for its children and families. Thanks for a great ten years!

Watch our Television Show on  the LSN

Channel 6 Time Warner Cable

New episodes air at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Fairfield Christian Academy Elementary School Students

Donate to the West After School Center

             Collecting box tops and redeeming them for cash, the students of Fairfield Christian Academy donated a check to the WASC in mid-April. Expressing appreciation for the support many of them received as participants in the WASC-Ohio University-Lancaster Reading Program, they wanted to give back and help sustain programs for other learners in the community.

 “May your program continue to grow, as new students continue to be helped by your vision and hard work!” - Principal Margaret McCoy

OUR THANKS TO…

— The Sherman Rotary Club of Lancaster for a generous donation in support of our before and after programming.

— The Elks Lodge #570 for generous support of existing programming at the Eastside Center for Success, the Cedar Community Learning Center, the WASC, and the development of programs the Tallmadge Community Learning Center.