The West After School Centers

WEST AFTER SCHOOL CENTER

CEDAR COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER
EAST COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER

TALLMADGE COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER

WEST AFTER SCHOOL CENTER
NEWS & OPINION

September 2009

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. Chris Kuttler, Office Manager

Mrs. Julie Bibler

Site Administrator-WASC

Mr. Moses Garcia

Site Administrator-Cedar CLC

Mrs. Nan Rowe

Site Administrator-East CLC

Mrs. Michelle Ritchlin

Site Administrator-Tallmadge CLC

Site Administrator-Tallmadge  CLC

WASC Before and AfterSchool Programs to Open in Early September

The West After School Center (community-based program serving West Elementary School)

Cedar Community Learning Center (school-based program serving Cedar Hts. Elementary School)

East Community Learning Center (school-based program serving East Elementary School)

Tallmadge Community Learning Center (school-based program serving Tallmadge Elementary School)

all WASC programs are licensed as before and after school childcare programs by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services

The West After School Center's 21st CCLC before and after school programs will soon be opening. Those students that receive priority for registration are those recommended by the school principal and teachers based on test scores and classroom performance in reading and math. Additional registrations for our programs at the WASC, East, Cedar Heights, and Tallmadge centers are open to all other students for minima payment. Some families may qualify for Title XX childcare care assistance. If you have questions, please call 653-5678 after 10:00 a.m. or email questions to pyoung@westafterschoolcenter.org

August 31-September 4 - Student-Family Registration and Orientation

September 8-11 - Program Opening and Orientation Week (WASC, East CLC, Cedar CLC, Tallmadge CLC)

September 14 - Volunteers join programs

To learn more about a specific site program, contact:

West After School Center - Julie Bibler, Site Administrator - jbibler@westafterschoolcenter.org

Cedar Community Learning Center - Moses Garcia, Site Administrator -  mgarcia@cedarclc.org

East Community Learning Center - Nan Rowe, Site Administrator  - nrowe@westafterschoolcenter.org

Tallmadge Community Learning Center - Michele Ritchlin, Site Administrator - mritchlin@westafterschoolcenter.org

A Typical Daily Schedule at a WASC 21st CCLC Program

6:00 a.m.     Childcare Program Opens (call us to inquire if your child would qualify for

                     JFS childcare reimbursements)

8:30          A.M. Childcare Students Depart for School (until 3:30)

                Head Start Classes Begin

9:30          Parent/Adult Learning Opportunities (GED), Tuesday & Thursday

11:30        Head Start Lunch

3:30          P.M. Childcare & 21st CCLC Tutoring Begin

5:30          Supper (free) for students (modest fee for adults)

6:00 p.m.    WASC Childcare Closes      Optional Adult Learning Opportunities (as arranged)

To learn more about our program offerings, those at East, Cedar Heights, Tallmadge, or the WASC, and how to register your children, call 7540-653-5678.

Be Prepared for the H1N1 Flu

       When the “swine flu” first spread last spring, some outbreaks resulted in school closures. Now, according to federal health officials, that practice might not be necessary if another flu outbreak occurs this fall. Swine flu is an infection caused by a virus. It's named for a virus that pigs can get.          

     People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. The virus is contagious and can spread from human to human. Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

     There are antiviral medicines you can take to prevent or treat swine flu. There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu, but you can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza by:

· Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

· Washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. You can also use alcohol-based hand cleaners.

· Avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.

· Trying to avoid close contact with sick people.

· Staying home from work or school if you are sick.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children^TM is a national movement launched by CASA in 2001 to remind parents that frequent

family Dinners Make A Difference! While there are no silver bullets – substance abuse can strike any family regardless of ethnicity, affluence, age or gender – the parental engagement fostered at the dinner table can be a simple, effective tool to help prevent substance abuse in kids.

More than a decade of research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University has consistently found that the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.

Source:  http://www.casafamilyday.org/

MEAL PROGRAMS

at the WASC

Busy parents can take advantage of the availability of supper at the WASC, East, 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.

Homework, 2009

Homework is an educational practice that has existed for more than 100 years. It is entrenched in our culture and a part of our common vernacular—an outgrowth of a Puritan work ethic. It crosses the boundary that separates school and home, and because of historical events, political pressures, and changes in educational theory, the pendulum has swung in favor of or against homework practices for many of those 100 years. Homework is often a hot-button issue. Where it works, it motivates students to learn, deepens their knowledge, and builds confidence. At its worst, it widens achievement gaps and unfairly discriminates against those who cannot work at home.

Typically, families in 2009 are more diverse, fragmented, stretched for time, economically stressed, and incapable of providing the quality of attentive support desired by school staffs. The family paradigm that many teachers experienced growing up does not exist for their students. Attitudes have changed. Many young learners live in environments where they are unable to work at home. Some parents find little if any real value in their children’s homework.

In this era driven by higher standards, increased accountability, and No Child Left Behind high-stakes testing mandates, homework is seen as a tool to help children achieve proficient levels of basic skills. It is a cultural practice that is unlikely to go away, and it would benefit everyone, especially children, that those in a position to affect change with homework would work collaboratively to  improve it.

21st CCLC after-school programs have been created to provide support and assistance for students who are at-risk of falling behind their peers. Homework assistance is a key component of 21st CCLC programs. In order to maximize the benefits that this extended learning time can provide, it is essential that learning objectives between school and after-school be well planned and implemented in a seamless manner. 

So what might school and after-school leaders and teachers do to improve the practice of homework in 2009?

· Insist that principals clarify the vision and mission of their school’s homework expectations, policies, and practices for their learning communities.

· Teachers and principals work collaboratively with after-school personnel to assure that connections exists between classroom learning and homework and that the purpose for each assignment is clear. thoughtful, and meaningful.

· Assure that all homework is of an appropriate quality, quantity, time-sensitive, and differentiated for each learner.

· Eliminate failure by re-evaluating attitudes, home-school relationships,  and grading practices for homework.

· Teach perseverance and motivate young learners to accept personal responsibilities

Effective homework practices help students feel confident, empowered, and motivated to explore and learn more. The practices are ineffective if they create despair and failure. If homework is a matter of routine without real purpose, it is likely ineffective.

After-school program personnel, parents, and volunteers want to help kids be successful with homework. To strengthen the school-home-community link, after-school staffs must work closely and collaboratively to support educational goals. 2009 is time for reflection, vision, clarity of expectations, and a focus on what is best for children.

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 "Back to School Show" and others playing this month.

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!

HOW 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.

SUMMER LUNCH PROGRAM REPORT

This past summer, thanks in large part to grant funding from the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (GOFCBI) and the Children’s Hunger Alliance and a partnership with Lancaster-Fairfield Community Action Head Start, the West After School Center expanded its summer lunch program to nine open serving sites, provided daily enrichment programs, and served more than 25,000 lunches in 52 days.

Community Care Day

Each September, the United Way of Fairfield County

organizes a community volunteer activity to provide service to non-profit agencies such as the WASC. On September 15, we welcome Chief Bailey and officers from the Lancaster Police Dept. who will help with various improvement projects here at our center.