Every Cherry Creek School District Before & After School Program just got a boost with exciting new STEM materials! Now, kids can dive into Marble Runs, build Pixel Pals, and explore Coding Bots—sparking curiosity and creativity like never before. The Extended Child Services (ECS) team picked activities that let kids lead, play, and learn in fun, hands-on ways. The kids are absolutely loving it!
“They're problem-solving more together, interacting more together, and showing all of us staff the cool and innovative things they are creating,” Woodland Elementary ECS Director Brittany Musser said. “The possibilities to create with a lot of what we received are endless!”
Students are learning how to build things that move, how to design houses, how to code robots, and be more creative. These are materials that many students don’t have access to at home. Each day, the staff look forward to seeing what the kids will come up with next and how they plan to challenge themselves.
“Having STEM activities in the Before & After School Program is so important for our students, many of whom are deeply impacted and may not otherwise have these learning opportunities,” Ponderosa Elementary ECS Director Erin Trimble added. “They’re exploring, experimenting, and growing in ways that are both fun and educational. It’s a privilege to support their development in this way!”
It’s all thanks to a grant awarded by the Colorado Early Childhood Stimulus Grants. Nicole Lloyd-Sullivan applied for the grant for each Before & After School Program. Mary Johnson and Courtnee Mitchell helped purchase, organize, and distribute these materials during fall break.
“It's really important to have new centers for kids to interact with to help keep them engaged with the program and excited to come to Before & After. Engaged kids exhibit far fewer negative behaviors and new centers help keep kids engaged,” Greenwood Elementary ECS Director Matthew Morilla explained.
Another focus for the ECS team was to keep children engaged through science, so they have more to do while enjoying the outdoors. They wanted to introduce self-sustainable gardening that kids can experience and watch in the program over time.
“The smiles on their faces say it all,” Mountain Vista Elementary ECS Director Kristy Petrocco said. “The materials are also relevant to the current world around them and give them an opportunity to explore new avenues of learning.”
The Before School Program is available starting at 6:30 a.m. and the After School Program is available from the end of school until 6:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday on regular school days. For more information about rates, please visit this link.
Posted on 11/5/2024.
