Photo By Aimee Malone | Children play a practice game during basketball camp Aug. 2 at the Fort McCoy...... read more read more
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The new school year is just around the corner, and Fort McCoy Child and Youth Services (CYS) is ready to help.
The After-School Program starts Sept. 4 when most schools return to session, though care is available after school for children enrolled in 45/15 calendar schools.
CYS staff members accompany Fort McCoy buses to Tomah and Sparta to pick up students and bring them back to the School Age Center/Youth Center (SAC/YC). Students are offered a snack and have the chance to participate in clubs, activities, and social time with other students.
“The School Age Center is a Boys & Girls Club as well as a 4H Club, so we offer a wide variety of clubs each day,” CYS Coordinator Cori Yahnke said. “These clubs make learning fun so your children won’t even know they are still learning after school.”
The clubs offer activities for children and teens on nature, science, art, technology, sports, and more. Children also have the chance to work on homework and have free time inside or outside, depending on the weather.
“One of the parts of the program that parents love the most is that we are able to help children with their homework after school,” Yahnke said.
Homework help is available for students in first through fifth grades during “Power Hour.” Teens can also work on homework in their own classrooms. As an incentive, students who complete homework at SAC/YC earn points, which they can redeem for prizes throughout the school year.
Homework help is also available online 24/7 for military families through www.tutor.com/military, Yahnke said. The service is available for free to active-duty military members and their families in more than 40 subjects spanning from kindergarten to college and professional education.
For some families, the upcoming school year might be the first one in a new school district. One of the tools available to help incoming families adjust to their new community is the Youth Sponsorship Program.
“Youth sponsorship helps ease the transition for new youth coming to Fort McCoy by providing them with friendship, a warm welcome, and information about schools and the community,” School Liaison Officer Rebecca Walley said.
The School Liaison Office can also help departing families find youth sponsors at their new locations.
Children and teens who want to help their new neighbors adjust to life at Fort McCoy can volunteer to be a youth sponsor. Parents can contact the School Liaison Office for more information at 608-388-6814.
The School Liaison Office is also available to help smooth out any snags encountered while transferring schools or looking for education programs. The office manages, coordinates, and facilitates education-support services that maximize the opportunity for academic success for military children. Call for more information.
Fort McCoy also offers the Strong Beginnings Pre-Kindergarten program to prepare children to enter school for the first time. The program focuses on social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development.
“Daily lessons are designed to help the children strengthen problem-solving skills, work as a team, develop self-control, and support emotional well-being,” said Cindy Storkel, CYS training and curriculum specialist.
Educational units, or studies, that last between four and six weeks are used to provide individualized instruction, meaningful learning experiences, and family involvement. Academic skills in math, science, literacy, social studies, and art are incorporated into each study.
“We try to create an environment that showcases the children’s ideas, art, and writing,” Storkel said. “As we explore the studies, children learn new vocabulary; begin to recognize important words; and are given opportunities to read, write, and discuss what they’re learning.”
Parents are encouraged to get involved in their children’s education by using the vocabulary words in each study and helping them recognize the words at home, Storkel said. Family conferences are conducted throughout the year to keep parents informed of their children’s progress and how to help them learn.
Prices for CYS programs are based on family income. Students in sixth through 12th grades may attend the After-School Program for free, but there is a fee for full-day programs on scheduled days off or during inclement weather.
For more about CYS programs and costs, call Parent Central Services at 608-388-8956.
| Date Taken: | 08.09.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 08.09.2018 13:28 |
| Story ID: | 287995 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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