Afterschool Program
3rd - 5th Grades
Our daily afterschool program offers holistic, high-quality academic support designed to help your child succeed.
Aspire has three South Arlington Program Sites:
Arlington Mill Community Center
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Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School
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Randolph Elementary School
Every day, students participate in at least 30 minutes of dedicated reading activities, a social-emotional lesson, free choice, and a lesson on Literacy, STEAM, Culture & Current Events, Social-Emotional Learning, or Health and Nutrition. Your child will also receive homework support and a hot meal. Aspire works with students to see what assignments they have to do, if they have a plan in place for getting them done, and ensures that they submit them on time.
Our award-winning Learning ROCKS program uses evidence-based methods and individualized support. Reading on grade level at the end of 3rd grade has been shown to support high school graduation and future success. Ensuring your child receives the reading and academic support they need to be prepared for the school day is important, and Aspire is here to help.
Our afterschool program runs 5 days a week (Monday through Friday) from the time they get out of school until 6 pm or 6:30 pm, depending on the site location.
What support does Aspire provide my child?
Aspire works closely with Arlington Public Schools (APS) to provide focused academic support. Many of our AmeriCorps members serve in APS classrooms for part of the week, where they provide direct service to students and see first-hand what subjects students are learning about in school. They bring this knowledge back with them to Aspire, where they connect the students’ school-day lessons to the support they receive after school.
Aspire’s holistic program is designed to support the whole child. We focus heavily on reading and academic support, but we also make sure your child has the social-emotional tools they need to succeed. This means that students have daily “mat meetings,” where they play a short game, answer a question of the day, and solve a riddle to promote listening and empathy. These sorts of activities provide students the space to form friendships and build relationships that will last a lifetime.
Afterschool Program Locations
|
Arlington Mill Community Center 909 S. Dinwiddie Street |
August 29th, 2023 | Barcroft, Campbell, Carlin Springs, Claremont |
|
Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School 3500 23rd Street S. |
October 2023 | N/A |
|
Randolph Elementary School 1306 S. Quincy Street |
August 29th, 2023 | N/A |
Students at Randolph and Drew Elementary Schools will go directly to Aspire's on-site location and will not need to take a bus to get to Aspire.
A Typical Day
Although schedules at every site look different, all Aspire programs will have the same components every day.
3:00 PM
Free Choice
Students may choose between going outside, playing games, and other fun activities as they transition from the school day to after school.
3:30 PM
Snack
Students receive a nutritious brown-bag snack (a full meal) provided by the Capital Area Food Bank.
3:45 PM
Mat Meeting
Students participate in a social-emotional activity designed for student engagement where they play a short game, answer a question of the day, and solve a riddle in order to promote listening and empathy.
4:00 PM
Homework Time
Students are given time to work on assignments with the assistance of classroom AmeriCorps members.
5:00 PM
Reading
Students participate in guided reading groups, book clubs, independent reading, or read-aloud.
5:30 PM
Activity
Students participate in a daily Corps-led activity of the day. Topics vary between Literacy, STEAM, Culture & Current Events, Social-Emotional Learning, and Health and Nutrition.
6:00 PM
Closure
The latest time parents may arrive to pick up students before the building closes for the day.
How do I enroll my child?
Afterschool: Enrollment for our afterschool program is currently open.
Summer: Enrollment for our summer program is currently open.