EFFINGHAM — When Chelle Beck came in as curriculum director of Unit 40 over a decade ago, the district had a small-scale after-school program. It was only for a few grade levels; students had to qualify, and it was focused on academic help.
The program was cut as the state fell behind in payments to school districts. Ever since, Beck had been trying to figure out how to start such a program again — this time more robustly.
“Even in just the child care world, after-school care is a need, but it kind of goes beyond that after-school care of just babysitting. We need to do more for our kids, and things that we can’t do during the standard school day, we can maybe offer some experiences and opportunities to them,” she said.
Beck knew the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant could provide such an opportunity. She also knew it would be a big undertaking.
After Andrew Johnson became the superintendent of Unit 40 three years ago, she approached him with the idea of applying for the grant. They intended to apply for it last school year, but the grant wasn’t available.
“So, then I read they were going to accept applications for this school year, and he and I talked, and we just decided we were going to jump on it and see how far we can go with it,” she said.
The district was notified right before Christmas they would receive the grant but wasn’t given the amount.
“So, it was hard to try to plan anything without knowing how much money we had to work with,” said Beck.
It wasn’t until halfway into January they were given that figure. One grant stipulation was that they would have the program up and running this school year. So, they had to turn around and build the budget for it, not leaving much time to start the program.
“It’s not normal, in my opinion, for a school district to start a program the last seven weeks of the school year. We would much rather start it starting with the summer and/or August for the new school year,” said Johnson.
Johnson estimates the program was put together in 10 to 12 days from a staffing and programming standpoint. During that time, the district hired 20 staff members, including Unit 40 staff and people from the community. Two district administrators stepped up to be coordinators, and community organizations jumped on board to provide secondary sites for the program.
“I think that’s a tribute to this school district and the people who work here, and without the community we have for support, this is probably not doable in the manner in which it’s being pulled off right now without all those pieces,” he said.
The Program
The free after-school program started March 31 with 130 students registered with the purpose of providing an engaging, enriching and educational experience for children in the hours after school in a safe, structured and supervised environment Monday through Thursday.
As soon as schools dismiss for the day, students participating in the program gather at designated areas in each school, where they are provided a drink, snack and the opportunity for homework help. At about 4 p.m., the students are bussed to partnership facilities in the community.
The program utilizes a couple of rooms at LLC’s Kluthe Center in Effingham for junior high students. At the same time, third through fifth are housed at the Effingham Park District’s Ron Diehl Recreation Center, kindergarten through second graders at Crossroots Church, and high school students at the school’s library. The students can then be picked up between 5 and 6 p.m.
While the district is not currently providing transportation from the partner facilities, Johnson said they will be taking a look at that.
“I’m not going to let that be a barrier to a student within our school district in any way, form or fashion to not be a part of our program. We will do everything we can to make sure their needs are met,” he said.
As co-coordinator overseeing kindergarten through fifth grade, South Side Principal Jessica Reeder is thankful for the community sites and the opportunity to work with them.
“Where these secondary sites are very much welcoming us in and working with us, and collaborating our ideas and coming together, it’s truly a community effort and I think that is a really cool thing. It’s just going to grow from here,” she said.
Reeder wanted to be a part of the program because she believes in educating the whole child.
“So this is a really cool way to encompass some different types of education and get to see kids in a different light,” she said
Co-Coordinator and Junior High Assistant Principal Jordan Andruch said the program aims to give kids another reason to want to attend school. That involves learning what kids like and finding ways to meet those interests. They also want to reach those students who aren’t already involved in an extracurricular activity after school.
“How do we meet them? How do we get them interested and excited about education or the future? We want to fill in all those gaps. We know there are some students we haven’t met, and I’m really hoping this is one way that we can help meet all these students,” said Andruch.
One way Andruch is hoping to do that as he focuses on grades sixth through 12th is through the partnership with Lake Land College Kluthe Center.
“That means some kids are going to be on a college campus by the time they’re in sixth grade. They might not be thinking about it 100%, but they already have things where they’re pointing at their future, looking ahead. Lot of those kids that I think would benefit and thrive from something like this, and we’re just trying to figure out how to get them,” he said.
The program activities range from hobbies to career exploration.
At the Kluthe Center, students engage in coding and robotics, while at the other locations, students in lower grades play games and make crafts. Organizers say that will evolve as the program grows and receives more input from students, families and the community.
Johnson said they are striving to keep the program from being dull and boring.
“We want kids to walk out of there and be excited and look forward to the next day that they’re going to come to that,” he said.
Funding
The district was awarded $453,996 for this year and $567,495 for each of the program’s next two years, including a summer portion. The district will not receive any more money after that and will have to sustain the program on its own.
Right now, Johnson said the district is focused on running the after-school program and setting up the summer program before focusing on sustainability, which he hopes to possibly do through sponsorships and workforce development support.
“’Cause I do hope that we implement in this program skillsets that help students to work in industries that we have in our own community. We already do that between the four walls of our buildings every day, but we want to extend that to after-school and summer programs and really take it to another level,” he said.
The 21st Century Grant is federally funded and distributed through the Illinois State Board of Education. While the district has not received the money yet, Johnson doesn’t believe the district is in danger of not getting it despite federal grant cuts and the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
“Everything that I’ve read states that schools will continue to receive their federally funded revenue as we have in the past per the federal government,” he said.
Still, Johnson admits it is a possibility, adding that’s where the sustainability pieces of the program would help.
“This community is very giving, and if the cause is good enough, they’re going to jump on board with it. I really am confident about this cause being worth it,” he said.
Benefits
Johnson believes the program will not only benefit students but their families as well.
“What you’re looking at is your child now can be dropped off potentially as early as 7:30 to attend our school during the day, and you can pick your child up at 6 that evening,” he said. “It really helps out a lot with those that are maybe struggling to find day care, to be able to put them in a position to be able to work.”
The other goal is to relieve stress.
“We would love to have that child fed to the level of their comfort for the evening and their homework done, and when mom and dad pick them up or grandma and grandpa pick them up they can go home and play with them and maybe enjoy an evening instead of having to sit down for hours on end and do homework with them,” he said.
Johnson stresses the intent of the after-school and summer programs isn’t to take away from similar programs already offered in the community.
“We just want to fill a gap for some kiddos that maybe don’t have the opportunity to be involved in those programs that are already running at a very high level,” he said.
Beck hopes the program will help not only families but also the community.
“If we have well-cared-for kids and they’re supported in all ways, then they will grow up and be quality contributing members of our community later,” she said. “We aren’t all dealt the same hand of cards. All families can’t provide all the same things, so this is a way for us to be able to help and contribute.”
Feedback
Andruch received emails from students who were excited about the program before it even started.
“I didn’t think I would get emails instantly about it and even got some phone calls from parents saying how happy they were to have something like this in our community,” he said.
According to Beck, the feedback after the program started was immediate.
“Just after two days, we had parents thanking us so much for providing this, and they’re looking forward to what’s to come,” she said.
Johnson also said the feedback has been incredible, especially from the partnership facilities.
“Every time I talk to somebody about this, I’m amazed at how excited they are about this,” he said, but added he shouldn’t be because of the culture of the community as a whole.
“It’s what makes this area such a great area, in my opinion, is the excitement of people really stepping up to help kids,” he said.