Here’s how after school programs in Bibb County are giving ‘students that boost that they need’
Michele Seymour’s 5-year-old son was struggling with letter recognition.
“He was doing really good with sounds, but he just really struggled being able to write his letters,” said Seymour, a fourth-grade teacher at Heritage Elementary School.
So, Seymour took advantage of after school programs at Heritage Elementary to get Trey that “extra one on one time .. that little bit of extra help.”
Trey, a kindergartner, now recognizes all of his capital letters, struggles some with the lower case letters, but is “a hundred times better” and continues to improve, Seymour said.
Thursday, Heritage Elementary joined nine other Bibb County district schools showcasing a variety of after school programs as part of the 20th annual ”Lights On Afterschool” celebration that shines a light on the importance of them.
“It gives students that boost that they need — that extra reading time, that extra math time, that small group time — that a lot of them need to succeed,” said Kristie Garnett, a third-grade teacher and site manager of the after school programs at Heritage. “I’ve seen huge gains in students who’ve had after school experience.”
After school activities highlighted in a video shown at the Heritage Elementary celebration ranged from dancing and drumming taught through The Tubman Museum to science experiments and science fair projects that students have been working on. Those activities are in addition to mentoring, tutoring, math and literacy stations and other projects like an upcoming one on inventors and inventing.
More than 1,800 youth are served through the district’s before and after school programs, according to information distributed at a recent news conference on Bibb schools’ Lights On Afterschool celebration.
In addition to enhanced learning opportunities, after school programs offer a safe haven for children and peace of mind for working parents, noted Janice Flowers, director of before and after school programs for the Bibb school district.
“After school, some of them are going home, nobody’s there with them,” Flowers said. “We’re able to hold onto them a little bit longer to provide that enrichment and to help with academics so that they’re doing better not only in school, but also outside where we’re building their character and getting them ready for college or career.”
Providing a safe-space for children is the “No. 1 reason after school programs are needed, saidSylvia McGee, AARP Experience Corp project manager for United Way of Central Georgia.
About 11.3 million children are without adult supervision in the afternoon hours, according to Afterschool Alliance data.
“It certainly minimizes the kind of risky behavior that some children might get involved in, and it provides a time of enrichment activities ,” McGee said.
In addition to fee-based and grant-provided after school programs offered by the the school district, United Way highlighted three of its affiliates as part of the Lights On Afterschool celebration, McGee said.
Those affiliates that offer after school programs are the nonprofit Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Georgia and faith-based organizations of Campus Clubs and Men about Change.
For Seymour, she’s impressed with the average of one teacher for every 10 students ratio for the after school programs.
“Having that extra person in the class, with only about 20 students and two adults, it seems to really give them a little bit more one on one, individualized instruction,” Seymour said.
Trey’s regular kindergarten teacher is also one of his after school teachers three times a week, Seymour said. Another kindergarten teacher who he’s familiar with serves in the after school programtwice weekly.
“Those familiar faces during the school day ... having those teachers involved in the after school program seems to be excellent and it keeps that same structure and expectation in the school,” Seymour said.
For more information about the before and after school programs at Bibb district schools, call 478-765-8660.