Thanks to the generous support of Salt Lake County, Sandy City and the Department of Workforce Services, 125 students from Edgemont and Bell View elementary schools in Canyons District are now enjoying a free after-school program that will be both fun and focused on bolstering student achievement.
The new after-school program, the result of an unprecedented and innovative partnership, started welcoming students on Monday, Jan. 12, 2014. On that day, students from the two Sandy-area schools were provided a safe place to gather with friends, learn social skills, enjoy a nutritious snack, participate in physical education activities, spend time in computer labs, and receive tutoring and homework help from teachers. The program will operate every day school is in session.
“Salt Lake County is excited to participate in this partnership, so that more children will have the opportunity to be part of a safe, constructive after-school program,” said Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams. “It’s a good thing for kids, parents, teachers and county taxpayers.”
The Boys and Girls Club is working with Canyons District to provide supervision of the children in the program, which is housed at Edgemont Elementary, 1085 E. 9800 South. The blueprint for the after-school effort, which targets a historically underserved population, is patterned after those already offered in Canyons’ four Title I schools, and has proven successful in increasing literacy kills and improving classroom behavior. Students in the new program were chosen through a first-come, first-served, space-available basis. Participants from Bell View, which is located several blocks away at 9800 S. 800 East, are being provided bus transportation to Edgemont.
The program already is in demand. The District has started a waiting list for students seeking entrance. With the existing funding, which includes $100,000 provided by Salt Lake County, and a $174,000 Community Schools Grant ($58,000 each year for three years) secured by Sandy City through the Department of Workforce Services, Canyons District can provide the program to the Edgemont and Bell View communities for the remainder of 2014 and throughout the 2014-2015 school year.
“Canyons District is pleased to work in such an unprecedented and collaborative manner with our county, municipal and state partners,” said Sherril H. Taylor, President of the Canyons Board of Education. “The program will provide needed academic support for students while also easing the child-care burdens of working parents. This is just further proof that, when we work together, we can meet the needs of the children and families in our communities.”
The program runs from about 3:30-5:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 2-5 p.m. on Fridays.
“This agency partnership lessons the burden on any one, while maximizing the positive effect we will have on the futures of these under-privileged children in need,” said Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan. “Without a doubt, this program creates an upward trajectory for these children, who in many instances, would not otherwise have such an opportunity.”
