After-school courses are a boon for learning that can face Trump’s cuts

NPR contacted the U.S. Department of Education several times to comment on which federal grants are proposed for cuts and the reasons behind efforts to narrow the federal role in schools. Officials there did not respond.

In an earlier statement Minister of Education Linda McMahon wrote“President Trump’s proposed budget puts students and parents above bureaucracy… We must turn the course and redirected taxpayer dollars to proven programs that bring results to American students.”

Dawn Fickett, director of REACH at MSAD No. 54, said the loss of after-school courses will hit students in the Skowhegan area, which has led to impressive academic and other achievements. “Having a place where our young people are involved, triggering joy and learning is a great way to keep children away from the streets and get out of trouble,” she said.

Hedy Chang, a national nonprofit organization that seeks to combat chronic absenteeism in schools, said research has long shown that after-school classes can also improve student attendance during school hours, among other benefits.

“After class can connect children with resources that need food, nutrition and other needs,” she said. “And make sure they are connected to what attracts them, making them excited about learning.”

In Maine, schools are also facing Other threats to federal fundingyou’ll see it soon School Mental Health Services Restricted by federal cuts. Low-income and rural areas like MSAD54 rely more on federal funds, which will be especially difficult.

“I can hardly imagine our school district without a strong after-school program,” Ficot said. “If we don’t have a safe and supportive place, I can see that this really hinders the progress of our community and can help them support their academic achievements.”

Get to know new flavors and experiences

The culinary club in the after-school course of MSAD 54 is one of the many rich options for students, but remains the most popular one.

Brenda Madden, a retired chef who has been running the club for four years, has taught a class on table presentations and decor. The idea behind the class is to introduce students to food from different cultures, ultimately at the annual food festival that students hold for the wider school community.

“The magic happens in the kitchen,” Madden said. By introducing students to new flavors, food and skills, she said, “This eliminates the fear of creating magic.”

Dylan Kirk, a seventh-grade who was busy drizzling croissants with melted chocolate and dried apricots, said he never thought of blending the flavors together before this class. “Miss Brenda told me to be fancy, so I tried my best,” he said as he introduced the dish during class.

Other students shared that chili powder, stuffed zucchini and mint chocolate clover shakes are flavors and dishes they never tried in Maddenban.

“At the beginning of the cooking experience, they would say ‘I want chicken nuggets and fries for supper,” Ficot said. “After a year of cooking, they will be able to tell you that they would love to whip paninis with a variety of cheeses, meats or vegetables; or make brownies with rosemary or mint.”

In addition to her encounter with novelty foods, Madden’s class is an opportunity to learn nutrition. “I tell these kids that when you’re groceries with your fellow villagers, instead of buying a bag of fries, two to three dollars, look at fruit you’ve never tried.”

Madden said the culinary club students had an additional attraction: “The kids were hungry. They knew they would eat something here,” she said.

Hunger combined with satisfaction them Created the meals they enjoy. “We always test our products,” said Molly Fitzpatrick, a sixth-grade student.

Have fun while achieving academic goals

Before the reach of students split into various clubs, they have noses in books and worksheets – it’s a dedicated 30-minute period for completing homework after class.

“In middle school, teachers reported that their children were 90% completed with the children participating in our program,” Ficot said.

She explained that part of making her plan successful is working with teachers on the school that day to create continuity in the after-school plan.

At the elementary level, Fickett and other staff provided additional support to the youngest students with the goal of closing the academic gap early.

“Last year, in our kindergarten to second grade courses, we had 37 out of our 38 programs. [low-performing] Students show improvement in literacy. ”She saw similar benefits from high-quality students.

Zhang, who was attending the job, said this kind of cooperation can make a big difference. “Students can get additional resources and support, learn academic concepts, or take different hands-on learning methods,” she said.

All clubs in the Fickett after-school program combine academic goals. In fact, this is one of the requirements for the 21st CCLC grant.

For example, in Madden’s Cooking Club, students practice math by adding, subtracting, and multiplying by recipes. They meet scientific goals, such as observing chemical reactions between ingredients. It’s almost like learning is getting fun.

At the same time, after-school courses also help develop students’ ability to work together and build basic non-academic skills.

“Brenda did a great job, building from the very beginning the best collaboration we have as a group, the way we communicate, the way we solve problems,” Fickett said. “It really just enhances those social relationship skills that we young people absolutely need.”

Going to school is also a necessary condition for participating in after-school courses. Sixth-grader Molly Fitzpatrick thought it was a clever system, “I was happy to go to school because I didn’t want to miss cooking.”

Free, essential service for parents

Cynthia Kirk, the mother of seventh grade Dylan Kirk, picked him up after completing his workday at the waste management supervisor at Skowhegan. “We work full-time. Sometimes I also work multiple jobs, and so does my husband,” she said.

For Dylan, playing in the competition is a huge benefit – he has done the job since the program began in 2019.

“In fact, he’s going through a lot of different things that he usually can’t do without the after-school plan,” Cynthia said.

She described her son as a “hands-on child” and learned the concept better by practicing it abstractly in a tangible way rather than in the classroom. After-school activities allow him to do this.

“I just love building things,” said Dylan, whose favorite after-school club is robotics, although the cooking club is the second.

Cynthia said: “He’ll come home with the recipe and say ‘Mom, can we make this? Can we try it? It’s really good.'”

“When it comes to kids, it should be something to cut. So many kids need these lessons. They need a place after school. Day care is very limited in families after a certain age.”

Dawn Fickett said she is already working to get funding from local businesses and other donors to find ways to keep her after-school plans working.

She said the child’s life did not just end when the school fire bell rang. “In this area, we don’t think of schools and after-school as separate…we are an important part of the kid’s school day.”