21ST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERSmalley School & Lafayette SchoolBound Brook, NJ

The Afterschool Hours in America More than 15 million school-age children (26 percent) are on

their own after school. Among them are more than 1 million are in grades K through 5. (Afterschool Alliance, 2009)

More than 27 million parents of school-age children are employed, including 23 million who work full time. (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010)

The hours between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. are the peak hours for juvenile crime and experimentation with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and sex. (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2002)

Currently, the federal government contributes only 11 percent of the cost of afterschool while 29 percent of the children in afterschool meet the federal government’s definition of low-income and in need of federal assistance. (Afterschool Alliance, 2009)

Afterschool Programs Benefit Youth, Families & Communities Teens who do not participate in afterschool programs are nearly

three times more likely to skip classes than teens who do participate. They are also three times more likely to use marijuana or other drugs, and are more likely to drink, smoke and engage in sexual activity. (YMCA of the USA, March 2001)

Early childhood education expert James Heckman concludes that a compliment of early education and participation in afterschool programs can reduce initiating drug use among youth by nearly 50 percent (45.8) while reducing the likelihood of them skipping school by half. (Investing in Our Young People, University of Chicago, 2006)

The Promising Afterschool Programs Study, a study of about 3,000 low-income, ethnically-diverse elementary and middle school students found that regular participation in high-quality afterschool programs is linked to significant gains in standardized test scores and work habits. (University of California at Irvine, 2007)

Mission Statement The mission of the Middle Earth 21st CCLC

program is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for fourth through eighth grade students from Bound Brook and South Bound Brook who are in need of and can benefit from an after-school program. Youth will have opportunities to choose activities designed to promote their intellectual, physical, mental, social, and emotional development in an atmosphere of mutual respect and encouragement.

Program Serves Lafayette School

60 Slots 4th and 5th grades

Smalley Middle School 60 Slots 6th, 7th, and 8th grades

Program Offers Academic Enrichment and Remediation Positive Youth Development Cultural and Artistic Enrichment Physical Activity Parental Involvement

Academic Enrichment and Remediation

Academic Enrichment and Remediation 60 minutes per day 1 certified teacher for every 15 students High school student helpers Students receive help with their

homework Students work on the Study Island

Computer Programs for math and language arts

Positive Youth Development Character Counts Girls Circle Boys Council F.I.L.M.

Girls Circle

Cultural and Artistic Enrichment

Culinary Arts Art Screen Printing Functional and Found Art Video Production Educational Field Trips Drama Photography Cartooning

Culinary Arts

Screen Printing

Art

Trips Intrepid Air and Space Museum Academy of Natural Sciences Museum Camden Aquarium Bronx Zoo Patriots Stadium Raices Cultural Center

Patriots Stadium

Physical Activities Recreational Sports Dance Soccer Basketball

Dance

Soccer

Other Enrichment Options Water Science Newsletter Technology Lego Tech Party & Event

Planning Crime Scene

Investigations Game Show

Lego Tech

Technology

Water Science

Parental Involvement Family Fun Nights

4 through out the year Student presentations and art work displays Guest Speakers Dinner provided

English as a Second Language Offered to parents of students in the program Provided by The Jointure

Guiding Good Choices for Spanish Speaking Parents Dinner provided Helps improve communication between parents

and children

Family Fun Night

Program Layout Fall Cycle: October – December

Winter Cycle: January – March

Spring Cycle: April – June

Summer Cycle: July

Daily Smalley Schedule 2:50 – 3:30 Snack & Game Time

3:30 – 4:50 Academic Remediation – Homework & Tutoring

4:50 – 5:50 Club/Enrichment Time

5:50 – 6:05 Students are picked up or walk home

Daily Lafayette Schedule 2:40 – 3:15 Snack & Game Time

3:15 – 4:00 Academic Remediation – Homework & Tutoring

4:00 – 5:00 Club/Enrichment Time

5:00 – 5:30 Quiet Recreation

5:30 – 5:45 Students are picked up or walk home

Staff 1 Full Time Project Director 1 Part Time and 1 Full Time Site

Coordinator 1 Part Time Administrative Staff 12 Certified Teachers 15 High School Youth Workers 10 Non-teacher Club Leaders

Collaborators Family & Community Services

2 days/week Offer individual and group counseling

Bound Brook Police Department 1 day/week Allow kids to have positive interaction with

police officers

Collaborators 4-H

Character counts staff training Science Workshops for students

EmPower Somerset Guiding Good Choices for Spanish Speaking

Parents Guest speakers for students

Girl Scouts Club activities

Guest Speakers Robert Wood Johnson EmPower Somerset Vo-Tech Tap-n-Toe Dance Group

Partners Bound Brook Board of Education South Bound Brook School District

A Special Thanks to the Bound Brook Board of Education

Summer Program 120 students 8:00 am to 1:00 pm Monday – Thursday Friday is Trip Day 3 hours academic time 1 hour rec time ½ hour breakfast, ½ hour lunch

Facts about the last 4 years Middle Earth has brought in $1.5 Million

to Bound Brook District We have served 421 youth We have hired 27 Bound Brook High

School Students We have hired 39 teachers from Bound

Brook

Hispanic PopulationAfter School Care Arrangements • Hispanic children are more likely to be in afterschool programs than other children. 21%

(2,365,860) of Hispanic children are enrolled in afterschool programs – at schools, community centers, churches or elsewhere. By comparison, 15% of all children participate in afterschool programs.

Economic Impact • Hispanic parents are feeling the impact of the economic downturn more severely than parents in

general. More Hispanic parents agree that the current economic conditions have impacted their after school care arrangements, with 55% reporting that the economy has impacted how they care for their children after school (compared to 41% overall) and 60% stating that it has affected their ability to pay for care (compared to 46% overall).

Need or Demand for Afterschool • Demand for afterschool programs is great in the Hispanic community. Parents of Hispanic children

not currently in afterschool programs are much more likely than other parents to say that they would enroll their children in quality afterschool programs, if programs were available. 47% of Hispanic parents (4,218,666) say they would enroll their children if programs were available compared to 38% of parents in general.

• Hispanic parents are also more likely than the general population to say that there should be “some type of organized activity or place for children and teens to go after school every day that provides opportunities for them to learn.” 96% of Hispanic parents agree compared to just 91% agreement in general.

The Coming Year 115 students currently enrolled Waiting lists for 4th and 5th grades Introducing new theme of civic

engagement Hosting Lights On After School Event

October 20th

Funding was provided by the New Jersey State Department of Education.

We would also like to acknowledge the Bound Brook and South Bound Brook Municipal Alliance for their contribution.