NEWFANE — A federal grant and sponsorship by a local church made it possible for 10 students at NewBrook Elementary School to become American-Red-Cross-certified babysitters at an all-day class held on Jan. 25.
The students learned important skills to keep children in their care safe and happy, from the nuances of changing diapers and burping babies to dealing with emergency situations. The class even covered how babysitters can safely market their skills.
The babysitting course was offered through Learning After School (L'AFTER), the after-school enrichment program at NewBrook Elementary and other schools in the Windham Central Supervisory Union (WCSU).
Sue Jones, who teaches at Leland & Gray, led the seven-hour intensive class.
The Newfane Congregational Church donated the funds to hire the babysitting class teacher.
“The idea for supporting a Red Cross babysitting class grew out of the church's need to find and hire a competent young person to care for our youngest children on Sunday mornings,” said the Rev. Rob Hamm, pastor of the church. “So it wasn't much of a jump to sponsor the class through the L'AFTER program at NewBrook.”
Rev. Hamm said he thought the training was worth supporting because it expands young people's skills and provides area families with greater access to quality care for their children.
The L'AFTER programs began in 2011 with a five-year federal grant called “21C” (21st Century Community Learning Centers). In just four years, the programs have grown to serve 700 students a year with sites at Leland & Gray and the elementary schools in Marlboro, Dover, Newfane, Townshend, Wardsboro and Jamaica.
The terms of the 21C grant require that the after-school programs build up local investments to achieve a 50-50 match with the federal funds by the fifth year. If that target is achieved, L'AFTER is eligible for another five-year cycle of 21C funding.
Thara Fuller, Director of the WCSU after-school program, reports that L'AFTER is on track to achieve the matching funds in 2016 through building a network of sponsors.
In 2014, the voters in each school district that hosts a L'AFTER program approved funding in the school budget for after-school. Given the current economic pressures, the L'AFTER program intends to create cost-sharing among several funding sources so that neither families nor taxpayers bear the full expense.
L'AFTER provides an array of classes, most offered right after school, that engage students in fun and enriching activities that support their physical, academic, artistic and social growth.
At NewBrook Elementary, programs include songwriting/music appreciation, a student leadership program run by the principal, cooking classes, cheer squad and a geography club that trains for competitions. The cost to families for these classes is kept as low as possible by tapping grant funding and contributions from partner organizations.