Placing Value on Afterschool

Entering Jalissa Willis’s math class, you see a 5^th grader reading from a small card in the front of the room. “This number has 9 hundreds, 6 tens, and 7 ones,” the child read. Almost in unison, the class responds “967!” The class is playing Place Value Bingo. Every child in the room is completely engaged in the activity and patiently awaiting the next number clue to be called.

These are the kinds of experiences quality afterschool programs strive to achieve. One of the primary goals of an effective afterschool program is to extend and expand the lessons of the school day in an interactive and engaging way.

According to national afterschool advocate, Afterschool Alliance, “Quality afterschool programs have the ability to excite children about learning, spark their curiosity and connect school-day lessons to their everyday lives. They have the capacity to strengthen students’ engagement in school and help them set higher educational aspirations for themselves. And, research has shown this to be true.”

In fact, the Study of Promising After-School Programs, a landmark study for the out-of-school-time field, found that “students regularly participating in the programs improved their work habits; demonstrated higher levels of persistence; and saw reductions in reports of misconduct, such as skipping school…”

At Operation Shoestring, our staff works diligently to plan activities like Place Value Bingo to keep our kids excited about learning. By providing academic enrichment and intervention, homework help, social-emotional learning opportunities, health education and so much more, Operation Shoestring not only provides a safe space for kids, but we’re also a tool to educate the whole child.

And we couldn’t begin to accomplish goals without the trust of our families who allow us to help their children realize their full potential and the amazing support we consistently receive from our donors, volunteers, community partners, and staff. Your investment of resources, time, and talent is transformative for the children and families we serve.