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After School in
Jeffco Public Schools

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Core Programs

In 2011-2012, The Jefferson Foundation core funding and projects address the goals of closing achievement gaps and increasing graduation rates. In addition, projects that were eliminated due to Jeffco Public Schools budget cuts, or programs that were deemed important to a students’ educational experience in Jeffco Public Schools by the Board of The Jefferson Foundation, were brought under the umbrella of Foundation support.

Lights on After School in Jeffco Public Schools

The after-school hours are often the most dangerous students. It’s during unsupervised afternoons when children experiment with behaviors that put them at risk of dropping out of school, becoming involved in the criminal justice system, becoming teen parents and being victimized by crime. (Please see Special Initiatives above for more information on LOAS programming, including a downloadable application.)

Bear Creek K-8

However, after-school hours can also be a tremendous asset to enhance the learning that takes place during the school day, for involving students in their community and for reaffirming the kinds of choices and activities that create positive opportunities for students.

To help schools capitalize on the opportunity that after school time provides, The Jefferson Foundation has teamed with Mile High United Way and Jeffco Public Schools to provide the innovative

Lights On After School (LOAS) in Jeffco Public Schools program.Indian Ed

LOAS is based in research of successful out-of-school-time programs studied and supported by the national Afterschool Alliance. The Jeffco program’s goal is to promote on-time graduations by improving student attendance and academic performance, reducing behavioral problems, and helping students feel more connected to and engaged with their school communities. The

program is thus perfectly aligned with The

Jefferson Foundation’s strategic goals of reducing achievement gaps and increasing graduation rates.

Pennington Reading Club

The program’s third year

 

LOAS was originally launched in the 2007-2008 school year with start-up funding from the Salazar Family Foundation and Mile High United Way. In 2009-2010, the program continued its focus on comprehensive afterschool sites at five schools: Stevens, Lumberg and Edgewater elementary schools, Wheat Ridge Middle School and Jefferson High School. These comprehensive sites received funding to provide programming up to five days a week.Foothills Rock Band Club

An additional 12 sites were awarded minigrants through a competitive application process in order to provide at least one day of programming per week.

 

Funded schools in the 2009-2010 school year included:

Additionally, Lights On After School programs operated at multiple schools through three district-wide programs:Mariachi de los ninos

Overall, the program served about 1,200 students across the district. In 2009-2010 evaluations conducted by an independent researcher have uncovered that students who participated in Lights On After School programs at their school feel safer at school, feel they have a positive relationship with at least one adult role model in their school, attend day school more regularly, participate in class more often and are improving their grades and academic performance, solve interpersonal problems without fighting or bullying, and feel that the teachers in their schools care about them. Most significantly, these positive program results held across all ethnicities and races, and differed only slightly between boys and girls.

“We know that quality after school programs help kids get more out of school,” said Katie Tiernan, Jefferson Foundation executive director.

Moving forward

 

In 2010-2011, the program has expanded to serve 26 schools and programs, an increase of 60% from the prior school year. About 2,900 students are participating in programs around the district, more than double the number served in 2009-2010. In the current school year, schools receiving funding have also developed partnerships with community-based organizations to help provide higher-quality programs and begin developing critical resources to sustain the programs over time. Evaluation activities will continue with an emphasis on measuring the results of the funding investment made in Jeffco schools by donors to Mile High United Way and The Jefferson Foundation.

Funded sites were awarded grants through an application process. The applications were reviewed by Jeffco educators, staff and donors of Mile High United Way and The Jefferson Foundation. Projects were funded at:

Three district-wide programs providing after school programming in several articulation areas were again funded: