About LearningWorks After School (21 Club) - Frequently Asked Questions:
Is my child eligible for LearningWorks After School?
LearningWorks After School is an after school enrichment program. It is not simply aftercare, but a safe, caring, and enriching after-school environment that helps children meet their academic potential and fosters their healthy social development.
- Students must be in grades 2, 3, 4, or 5, and a student at either Kaler or Skillin Elementary School in South Portland. Due to our grant restrictions, we cannot make any exceptions.
- All students must be recommended by the school staff in order to be considered for the program. You may register without your child having been recommended, but we must check your child's eligibility before determining a start date.
- In addition, we require students to follow school rules and directions and to respect their fellow students, teaching staff, school and personal property. In some rare cases, we must ask children to no longer participate in our program if they are unable follow our behavioral expectations.
How do I enroll?
See our "How to Enroll" Page for more information.
We now also offer an online registration option: Online Registration Form
When in doubt, contact your child's teacher about enrolling in our program!
When does 21 Club - LWAS meet?
After School 2018-2019:
Skillin: 3:05 until 5:35pm
Kaler: 3:05 until 5:35pm
Monday through Thursday
September 17, 2018 to June 6, 2019
Consult our calendar for dates of sessions.
We do not meet on early release days, or days when school is not in session.
What do you offer my child?
LearningWorks After School is academic enrichment, but packaged in an engaging and fun way. Students improve their academic performance not by drill exercises, but by research-based out of school time enrichment that focuses on relationships, relevance, and rigor.
Students who consistently attend our program:
- become better thinkers & creative problem solvers
- develop their social skills and self-esteem
- learn to make healthy choices
- are exposed to new places, people and knowledge through field trips and guest speakers that tie in with our project based learning
LearningWorks After School helps schools become better places of learning through:
- Practice of "21st Century Skills" such as critical thinking, collaboration and problem solving
- Fun afterschool enrichment aligned to your child's school day curriculum
- STEM-based learning (science, technology, engineering, and math) that nurtures curiosity and reinforces the engineering design process
- Weekly interest "clubs," like Lego Robotics, cooking, or dance
- Field Trips
- Family Programs including "Celebrations of Learning"
- Community Partnerships
What is a typical day?
3:00: Check in and Snack
3:20: Recess
3:45: Independent Study - Homework or Quiet Activities
4:05: Afternoon Meeting
4:15 Project Based Learning (Engineering, Literacy, etc) or Enrichment Clubs
5:15 Reflection/Clean-Up
5:30 Dismissal (Bus transportation provided or pick-up)
Will my child get all his/her homework done at LearningWorks After School?
Research has shown that the extra time given to hands-on ways of learning yields better academic outcomes than homework for students in our target groups. Students who attend our program are often excused from homework by their teachers and instead asked to read at home in the evenings independently or with their families.
- If your child does require homework to be completed, they can choose to do so during "independent study", recess, or snack. We do not provide tutoring or one-on-one homework help.
How much does it cost to join?
Attending LearningWorks After School is free. LWAS is one of Maine's 21st Century Community Learning Centers, funded largely through a U.S. Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant, as well as contributions from LearningWorks, South Portland Public Schools, and other local organizations. (For more information, visit http://www.maine.gov/doe/21st-century)
Is transportation provided?
Yes, the South Portland School Department will provide bus transportation home for all students who request it. The option to pick up your child is also available.
How will I know if you need to cancel LearningWorks After School due to weather or other school emergency?
In the event that we have to cancel due to weather or other emergency, consult the district web site. Decisions to cancel are usually made by 1:00 pm by the superintendent. We will also do our best to post closings on the home page of our site (power permitting!). We ask that you contact Skillin school at 207-773-7375 or Kaler at 207-799-3214 if you suspect an after school cancellation due to weather to let us know how you want to handle dismissal for your child. The schools have many calls to make, and it saves time if you contact them. Otherwise, the school will dismiss your child as it does on Fridays, when LearningWorks-21 Club is not in session.