After-School Enrichment Program

Beginning this fall the Center will offer an after-school enrichment class for 5- to 7-year-olds that will meet at the Charlotte Children’s Center which is located at the Charlotte Congregational Church on Church Hill Road. Like our other classes there will be a low teacher to student ratio. The bus from the school will drop children off at the church after morning kindergarten classes. Children may attend noon to 5:30 p.m. two, three or five afternoons per week.

We recognize the special needs of the new kindergarten student. Moving to the “big” school can be a stressful transition for some children. Our goal is to make their after-school experience welcoming and comfortable. We would like it to be a place where children don’t feel over structured but are still learning many new things. When children come off the bus they will have the opportunity to go right outside to have unstructured free play time. After that will be lunch where teachers sit and eat with the children and help to facilitate conversation.

Next will be a quick meeting so that children can decide what project they would like to work on. Activities will be project based meaning that teachers and student pick subjects that they would like to learn more about and then determine what would be the best way to do that. As an example children may decide that they want to learn more about boats. They decide to read or draw about them, go on a pretend boat journey, build various boats and find out if they float. This may all culminate in a field trip to the maritime museum.

Another component of the after-school program will be a Community Service. Here children will pick a project that they want to support and determine they best way to do that. In the past children have donated toys to the Immigration Resettlement Organization, held a bake sale to save endangered bats and collected food for the Charlotte Food shelf. A dedicated music teacher will visit the classroom once a week to for a special music program.