7 Ways Expanded Learning Time Keeps the Promise Beyond the Bell

 When the dismissal bell rings, Charleston Promise Neighborhood (CPN) continues our work inside the schools to ensure our students are on track for success! CPN provides afterschool and summer programming in our Neighborhood schools to support continuing academic development, exploration in extracurricular enrichment, and to foster social/emotional growth within students. With more than 20 Collaborative Enrichment Providers and certified teachers on-site daily, our Expanded Learning Time (ELT) programs have proven to be successful for students, schools, and parents in the Neighborhood!

Here are 7 ways ELT is helping Neighborhood families, schools, and most importantly–students…

7) Students receive dinner every night.

All 4 schools CPN serves receive Title I funding, and meet the new federal qualifications to ensure that all students are eligible for free breakfast and lunch. With the addition of our ELT programs in the afternoons and evenings, many students are now receiving breakfast, lunch, and dinner at school 5 times a week. That’s 15 nutritious meals to fuel their brains!

6) Parents are able to work more traditional shifts.

Since our ELT programming expands the school day until after 5pm, and even provides bus transportation home at some schools, parents are able to work more traditional shifts at their jobs since they are not picking up daily at 2pm.

5) Students are exposed to a variety of skill-building enrichment experiences.

CPN has hired more than 20 Collaborative Enrichment Partners to teach new skills to our students. Our partners have offer S.T.E.M., art, sports, and project based learning experiences. Partners like DanceEd and Soccer Shots ensure students are exposed to more traditional hobbies, like ballet and soccer, while Corpus Callosum and the Green Heart Project introduce students to entrepreneurship and gardening.

4) Students receive extra help from certified teachers on a daily basis.

Before the students break off into groups to explore enrichment opportunities, they work with certified teachers. Math and homework support are the main focus and students enrolled in ELT have showed gains in mathematics as compared to non-participants. Additionally, students have time to work on their homework, so when they get home, families have more time to spend together.

3) Students are able to showcase their newfound skills and talents at bi-annual SWYK events.

Show What You Know (SWYK) is an evening where families are able to experience first-hand what their children have learned during ELT programming. Each enrichment group is able to perform or display their talents and projects from the semester. This is a terrific way for students to learn about ownership and work-quality, and a great way for proud parents to support their children!

2) ELT students beat the summer slide in 2016 with 100% maintaining or gaining literacy points.

CPN was absolutely thrilled with the results from our summer program at Mary Ford! More than 70 students beat the summer slide. To read more about these great results, click here.

1) ELT students showed gains in mathematics and a decrease in disciplinary referrals in the 2015-2016 school year.

Results from our 2015-16 ELT data analysis, provided by CCSD, concluded that our ELT programs had a positive impact on students’ performance in mathematics, as well as a positive impact insofar as less Out of School Suspensions and improved school-day attendance by ELT participants. We anticipate continued student improvement in these areas as they participate in our 2016-17 programs!

Many thanks to our awesome Collaborative Enrichment Partners for 2016-17!