April 10, 2017 -- The Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District has partnered with Right At School to expand the before and after school care opportunities in each of its elementary schools beginning in the fall of 2017.
Right At School focuses solely on before and after school care programs for pre-K through eighth grade. Its mission is to provide safe, engaging and meaningful extracurricular programs to enrich the lives of students, give parents peace of mind and enable schools to focus on their academic mission.
“We are looking forward to the opportunities that Right At School will provide to our students and their families,” said CH-UH Superintendent Dr. Talisa Dixon. “Our staff has done extensive research on the best option for our district when it comes to before and after school care, and we believe this is the direction that is most beneficial for our schools.
“We sent district staff to Chicago Public Schools to observe the Right at School program in action. They came away convinced that it was a great fit for CH-UH. They were impressed by the organization and structure of the program, the equitable curriculum, the training provided to staff and the overall ‘camp’ atmosphere that students enjoyed.”
Right At School features a curriculum that disguises meaningful learning with hands-on fun, including multi-sensory activities, student-driven projects, fitness, team building, leadership and unstructured recess time. A few of the curriculum units include Getting Down to Business (where students learn about saving and spending money), Icky Experiments (where students experiment with sticky substances to learn about chemistry) and Variety Show (where students rehearse and perform talent acts).
The program also brings in outside partners for specialized enrichment classes in areas such as sports, chess, science, art, music and foreign languages. Right At School works closely with principals and parents to tailor the enrichment offerings for each school.
In addition to the opportunities provided to students, the program also offers flexibility for parents who can choose how many days per week to send their students or have “drop-in” days when needed.
“When parents see the extra enrichment activities offered to students, and the added flexibility for part-time and drop-in care, I believe the number of families using this program will grow,” said Dr. Dixon. “Partnering with Right At School is not only the best use of district resources, it enhances the opportunities for the academic and social-emotional growth of our students.”
Right At School also plans to work with local universities, including John Carroll University, to provide experience and opportunities for student teachers in addition to the extensive training it regularly provides to school and program staff.
A representative from Right At School will be available during an open parents meeting on Wednesday, April 19, at 6 p.m. at the Heights High Wiley library/media center, to address any questions or concerns about the program.
For more information on the program, visit RightAtSchool.com.