WEST AFTER SCHOOL CENTER
NEWS & OPINION

October 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

Annual Rally for Afterschool Will GO GREEN this month

                 On October 16, the tenth annual national rally for afterschool, Lights On Afterschool, will bring students, parents, educators, afterschool program directors, and community and business leaders together to show support for afterschool programs. This year’s event will also kick-off the 11th anniversary of 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the chief federal funding stream for afterschool programs.

Organized by the Afterschool Alliance, Lights On Afterschool 2008 will include some 7,500 events scheduled in October throughout the nation and at military bases around the world. At these events, a million Americans will urge leaders to support the afterschool programs that keep children safe, inspire them to learn and help working families. More than 14 million children have no place to go after the school day ends.

Lights On Afterschool rallies give youth a chance to showcase the skills they learn and talents they develop at their afterschool programs, and to send the message that millions of kids need afterschool programs. "We are so pleased to showcase the wonderful talents of afterschool students by using a poster designed by one of them for Lights On Afterschool this year," said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. "On October 16, all across the country, we will send the message that Americans want to keep the lights on for children - and we'll do it in an energy-conscious way. Supporting afterschool programs and conserving energy both help ensure a better future for our youth.”

The West After School Center’s celebration of Lights On After School will utilize our Healthy Living for Kids TV show format to feature each 21st CLLC program in Lancaster, celebrate success, and promote public awareness of the outstanding services and opportunities that these program provide children and families in Lancaster. Our show will be filmed in October and played several weeks during and after on the Lancaster Schools Network.

The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality afterschool programs. More information is available at www.afterschoolalliance.org.

Source:  AfterSchool Alliance:  www.afterschoolalliance.org

Dr. Paul G. Young, Executive Director

Mrs. Julie Bibler, WASC Site Administrator

Mrs. Jane Hart Tallmadge CLC Site Administrator

Mr.  Moses Garcia, Cedar CLC Site Administrator

Mrs. Chris Kuttler, Office Manager

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Contact Information for our four afterschool programs…

The West After School Center (serving West Elementary School)

Julie Bibler—Site Administrator—740-653-5678 —jbibler@westafterschoolcenter.org

The Eastside Center for Success (serving East Elementary School)

Rob Libbee, Executive Director—740-687-7197 — rlibbee@eastsidecfs.org

The Cedar Community Learning Center—(serving Cedar Heights Elem. School)

Moses Garcia, Site Director—740-438-8524 — mgarcia@cedarclc.org

Della Maynard, Student & Family Coordinator — dmaynard@cedarclc.org

The Tallmadge Community Learning Center—(serving Tallmadge Elem. School)

Jane Hart, Site Director—740-475-9229 —jhart@westafterschoolcenter.org

Kristen Smith—Student and Family Coordinator—ksmith@westafterschoolcenter.org.

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

Children are often asked that question. Some adults keep asking themselves that question, too. For our kids, the question can pose enchanting as well as daunting thoughts. Think about it from their perspective. Those entering kindergarten, born at the beginning of the 21st century, will retire (if they can ever afford to) around 2070. Those that develop safe and healthy lifestyles could possibly live into the 22nd century. What they will experience along the way will be unlike anything we can now imagine, full of inventions, experiences, and improvements that are now just part of our dreams.

Thirteen years from now in 2021, they will graduate from high school. Within little more than that same amount of time, the Internet has spread across the globe creating jobs and fortunes that would have been hard to imagine in the early 90s. Hopefully, our children will experience abundant scientific, technological, and medical advancements that will create job possibilities that fulfill their dreams and ambitions. If we could predict their future, we would help them make choices that put them at the best advantage. But none of us can reliably foresee everything our children must know and be able to do. We can, however, provide high quality school and after-school experiences now that prepare children as “critical thinkers” for future careers--most of which haven’t been created.

We aren’t likely to experience an immediate push away from testing basic skills. So be it. But we must push our kids to become more inquisitive, imagine, create, debate, question, and challenge their own future. We must help them connect with others beyond their community, state, and country. Knowledge is power. We must assure that our children are the brightest and the most inventive in the world. They must learn how to build and sustain relationships, embrace change, think critically, and adapt to the challenges that global events and society will inevitably provide them. They must become better stewards of the earth we inhabit and create new, safe, accessible, economical, and reliable sources of energy. They must be able--and not afraid--to lead.

The time has passed when children aspired to jobs similar to those held by their parents. Instead, most will have to explore new lines of work, something that is unimaginable now while they go through their preparatory schooling. We must help them realize that learning takes place throughout the entire waking day—each day—all year long. Learning never stops, and for children today, high school graduation must be viewed as a marker rather than an end goal.

Flex your brains and help our children do the same. The best gifts we can give them now are a sense of direction and motivation to prepare for the possibilities of their future.

West After School Center is one of only 3 Star-Rated Before and After Childcare and Early Childhood Learning Programs in Fairfield County.

If you’ve seen the banner displayed in front of the WASC and wondered what it meant, it is our proud display of accomplishment and commitment to excellence. Both the efforts to attain and the rewards that accompany the Star Rating were shared by the Lancaster-Fairfield Community Action Head Start and the WASC. Commendations to Kathleen Cortleesa and Jane Hart for their completion of the documentation required for this award.  Our goal now is to achieve two-stars at the WASC next year—and one for the Cedar Community Learning Center.  To learn more, CLICK HERE.  

MEAL PROGRAMS

at the WASC

Busy parents can take advantage of the availability of supper at the WASC, Cedar Heights, and Tallmadge, Monday-Friday, throughout the year.  The snacks we serve are free, and the supper  program (5:30-6:00 pm) is open to any child in our programs or others that would sign up for supper, based on qualification requirements similar to the school lunch program. The WASC is a sponsor of after school meals for the centers serving children at East, West, Cedar Heights, and Tallmadge Schools.

Watch our Television Show on  the LSN

Channels 6 or 9 digital - Time Warner Cable

New episodes air at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.  Look for our "Lights On After School Show" playing in October.