WHAT TCC DOES FOR FAMILIES
Our after-school program is designed to make life easier for families. By directly supporting kids outside of school, we are supporting working families in our community; extended after-school hours allow parents to work a full day and earn their full wage. Parents can pick up anytime before 5:30 – whether that’s right after the bus drops their kids off or after finishing up at work. Some children are here for a short stay; others need the full afternoon. Additionally, through our partnership with WES (Woodstock Elementary School), we can have the kids transported for free from WES, Prosper Valley School, and Barnard Academy directly to our site (this includes the participation of kids who reside in Pomfret, North Pomfret, Bridgewater, Taftsville, Woodstock, Barnard, and Reading). Not only is transport covered, but we can also support those with concerns about affording after-school care. Those individuals initially apply for a state subsidy and then meet with us to discuss further coverage. We listen to each individual’s situation and provide the financial support they need, in some instances covering 100%. Over the 5 years TCC has operated as an after-hours school program, we have supported 25 families through a scholarship fund.
WHAT TCC DOES FOR KIDS/ ADDITIONAL SUPPORT WE PROVIDE
One way we provide extra support for families during afterschool is by providing a snack. Though our 2.5-hour program isn’t required to provide a snack, we gladly offer one each day. Most importantly, we go the extra mile to ensure every child feels cared for, supervised, and comfortable until pickup. Assuring that there are enough teachers for our student-to-teacher ratio means attention is divided proportionally, and kids can feel free to ask for help and know that we can help them manage conflicts if they arise.
At TCC, we prioritize practicing new skills, with a large focus on crafts, teaching the kids things like crocheting, which require patience and help build strong skill sets. Research shows that out-of-school programs that focus on practicing new skills contribute to growth both socially and emotionally, help develop responsibility, and promote long-term educational success. The NCSL(National Conference of State Legislatures) found that when afterschool programs successfully applied SAFE- “Sequenced step-by-step training approach (S), emphasized active forms of learning by having youth practice new skills (A), focused specific time and attention on skill development (F) And were explicit in defining the skills they were attempting to promote (E)”, Positive outcomes on the child participants were drastically more impactful than other programs, in having an effect on grades, future drug use, school bonding, self-perceptions, and more.