After School Program
The Mission's after school program runs throughout the school year and is held on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 2:30-5:45 at both Mount Vernon Baptist Church and The Episcopal Church of the Atonement. Each afternoon, we host over 90 students in grades 1-5 at these locations.
Students enrolled in the After School Program are referred to the Mission by school administrators for help with math, language arts, science and social studies homework. The children are pickedup from school with the Mission's big white bus. Upon arrival, the students enjoy fun recreational activities to blow off some steam and get the wiggles out before settling down. After some playtime, the children have a healthy snack then are ready for homework to begin - usually around 3:45.
Volunteers work with students to complete their daily assignments or in groups to practice the key concepts of the day's work. Math and word games are available after their homework is done. Or, some children may work one-to-one with a volunteer reading aloud.
It is a busy afternoon and time passes quickly. But, with this daily assistance the Mission's after school program is changing and enhancing the lives of its participants in many ways. The focus is on improving their academic skills but almost more importantly, through the program the children develop a strong sense of community and draw great encouragement and support from the volunteers and their peers at the Mission.
On a daily basis we have approximately 12-15 volunteers working with the children for 2-3 hours. We estimate just over 100 volunteer-hours per week are donated by our capable volunteers. We are so appreciative of their time and applaud their efforts to help others in the community succeed.