LOVELAND, Colo.—Ten-year-old Lindsey Ranz likes that she can raise her hand to get homework help at the new after-school program at Centennial Elementary School. “I wasn’t doing math very well,” the fifth-grader said, adding that Cynthia Quirk, a tutor for the program and a part-time literacy teacher at the school, gave her the help she needed. “It was like it clicked. I finally got it,” she said.
Lindsey is among the eight students participating in the 1st Choice Before School and After School Kare (ASK) program that started last week at the school.
The program provides lessons in physical activities, such as karate, dance, sports and horseback riding, along with homework help and tutoring.
Bill Black set up the program at five elementary schools in Loveland this year, including Edmondson, Garfield, Van Buren and Winona, and added a before-school program at Namaqua Elementary School.
Black’s business began providing the program last year at four other Loveland elementary schools, Lincoln, Mary Blair, Namaqua and Truscott.
Black, who founded the program in 2006, first set it up at Windsor Charter Academy, followed by two other charter schools in Fort Collins and Milliken.
The business now serves 120 students and has a staff of 30.
“It’s a huge benefit to the kids and also to the parents,” said Quirk, director for Centennial. “It provides that quality after-school time parents would like to give their kids but can’t if they work full-time.”
Certified teachers from each school are hired on to serve as the program director and to provide tutoring.
A director’s aide and tutors also may be added to the staff to meet Black’s goal of providing one adult for every 10 children, he said.
“In a nutshell, we try to make it like a mini-summer camp,” Black said. “At the same time, we are concerned about their academics and make sure their homework is done when their parents pick them up.”
The program starts off with 20 minutes of cardiovascular activity, followed by a 25- to 40-minute lesson, specialty presentation or arts and crafts project.
Lessons are in physical activities, while presentations can be in topics such as fire safety, bike safety and the importance of fingerprinting.
The second hour of the program is for the homework help.
The before-school program is slightly different and lasts for 11/2 hours instead of two.
The students have a chance to finish their homework or study for a test, but if they do not have any work to do, they can engage in fun activities.
The activities range from board games to outdoor play, such as four square or playing ball.
Black aims to bring the before- and after-school programs to 25 schools by 2013 and says he is on track with his goal.
He wants to expand the program statewide and license the program to allow others to set up the program using the ASK system and name.
“Sometimes families can’t afford to put children in extra curricular activities,” Black said. “This way we can give them the basics.”
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Information from: Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald,
