What will be the curricula for our ELO?

Studies show that the most successful ELOs reinforce the work children do in the classroom.

To make the ELO-classroom connection, be sure to get local schools involved in your program. Meet with school officials on a regular basis. Include overlapping ideas from school curricula in ELO curricula. This reinforcement helps to improve test scores and enhance learning.

Consider the following ideas as possible ways to tie school work to the components of your after school program:

Academic improvement -- Do Fourth Grade Proficiency Test scores in your community need to improve? Is there a common weak subject among your children? Are some of your children struggling to learn English? See the following sites for some inspiration:

READY*SET*READ learning information kit was developed by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Corporation for National Service, and the Department of Education to advance President Clinton's challenge to help every child in America read independently by the end of the third grade. Also available in Spanish.

North Central Regional Educational Laboratory offers practical strategies for planning and implementing before-school, summer, and extended-day activities. Their toolkit illustrates ways to make informed decisions about critical issues such as management, collaboration, programming, evaluation, and communication.

The "Helping Your Child" series of publications developed by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Research and Improvement presents games, activities, and learning ideas to help children learn math, geography, history, responsible behavior, library use, homework strategies, science, writing, effective test-taking, and reading. Several are available in Spanish.

ArtsEdge, a cooperative agreement between the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts (with additional support from the U.S. Department of Education) offers links to curricula for ESL, foreign language, math, physical education, science, and social studies. Includes arts education also.

Teaching English as a Second Language is an online source for information about teaching and learning English as a second language.

Disney Learning Partnership offers curriculum ideas to teach young children science, math, etc. Free registration is required.

YouthLearn has resources and tools for integrating technology into out of school programs. Includes curricula and examples.

The MarcoPolo program provides no-cost, standards-based Internet content for the K-12 teacher and classroom, developed by the nation's content experts.

Sports -- Physical activity is a must for growing children and young adults. How to make sports fun and fair.

The National Alliance for Youth Sports promotes safe and positive sports for children. It describes a "Start Smart" program for engaging children 3 and up in sports without fear of injury or adverse competition. The site also gives locations for volunteer coaching training in Ohio, parent orientations, and codes of ethics.

Physical Education Lesson Plans submitted by physical education teachers from around the world, has a list of over 80 different ideas for classes of all sizes.

McRel supplies a list of physical education standards and benchmarks for children K-12.

 

Arts Education -- Aspiring artists/dancers/actors in your program will appreciate the use of the arts as a way to teach skills and safety.

Art Works! Prevention Programs for Youth and Communities is a book produced by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It describes exemplary programs that use the arts in substance abuse prevention strategies for children and teens. The book is free from the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) by calling 800-729-6686.

ArtsEdge, a cooperative agreement between the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts (with additional support from the U.S. Department of Education) offers links to curricula for ESL, foreign language, math, physical education, science, and social studies. Includes arts education also.

 

Meals -- Free or reduced price meals help to ensure the quality and nutritional value of the food served to the children of our community. Studies have shown that children who eat well-balanced meals do better in school and function better than those who do without meals.

Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) is a leading national organization working to improve public policies to eradicate hunger and undernutrition in the United States, FRAC's site offers information about federal nutrition programs for adults and children.

US Department of Agriculture offers information on their Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).

 

Building self-esteem -- How you can you manage an ELO that allows children to learn and grow as students and as individuals? Check out the ideas below.

cyberparent.com describes ways to boost children’s self esteem through praise, language, acceptance, and listening.

 

Crime prevention/safety -- Including this type of curricula in your program may save a life, as well as promote a healthier lifestyle.

D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) brings specially trained, uniformed police officers to your site to provide factual information about drugs. Includes an interactive section for children.

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