After-School Program Rocks, Wins People’s Choice Award

Oh, to be a kid again! 

Children at the Fallbrook Community Center’s after-school program have it made. They’re having all kinds of fun and don’t even know they’re learning at the same time. But their parents, their school teachers and other community members know. They gladly cast their votes for the after-school program with the best enrichment opportunities.

Out of a pool of 314 school sites, the After School Education and Safety (ASES) Program held jointly at La Paloma Elementary School and Park’s Fallbrook Community Center recently won the People’s Choice award from the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE).

No wonder. Throughout the school year, these pre-kindergarten to 6^th grade students learn about wide-ranging topics from healthy cooking, nutrition and gardening to anti-bullying and what it takes to become a junior park ranger. They find out about student council, paying it forward, taking pride in your campus, recycling and reducing. Then there’s the computer lab, the graphic novels, night at the museum, activities for diversity month, the game show, learning the states and capitals song and more. Phew!  

On top of that, the kids play sports and games every day with the idea of getting their heart rates up for at least 30 minutes. But it’s not all fun and games, they spend an hour each afternoon doing homework and getting help with it if they get stuck. The Fallbrook Community Center is the only County Parks facility to offer an after-school program and does so with only seven staff members.

“I’m proud of our staff for winning this award,” said Fallbrook Community Center Director Gordon Stone. “It’s a top notch program with a hard working staff and excellent relationships with teachers and school administration.”

Earlier this year, the center’s program won the Lights On award from SDCOE for going above and beyond the scope of their duties in an after-school program.

The program is funded by the state and the Fallbrook Elementary School District and allows for the enrollment of 120 children. Another 100 kids are on a waiting list.

Some 30 to 40 school children take part in the early morning program. The afternoon session runs from the time school lets out at 2:05 p.m. to 6 p.m. and takes place in the La Paloma classrooms or the Fallbrook Community Center right across the street.

 

Registration is $30 for the entire school year and in this low-income area, the fee can be waived. But it’s not child care, program leaders say, it’s an academic assistance program with enrichment opportunities.  The program director helped get the ASES program off the ground eight years ago and there’s no other place she’d rather be. Ashley Westbrook says she loves it.

“Just seeing the students from our first year already in colleges and seeing their siblings come in - it’s really exciting,” said Westbrook.

Once out of sixth grade, many students want to come back and they do – as volunteers.

“Those volunteers say you were right, you trained us well, we wish we could continue with this program and continue to learn,” said Westbrook.

In a way, the school children and their parents become like a second family. Staff members are often asked to help with kids’ behavior and they give out resources for a variety of other concerns too.

As the school year winds down to a close, you’d think the staff would be glad for a breather but Westbrook says the award just added fuel to the fire to do even more and better things next year. Two additional staff members will help them do just that. One plan is to have the kids explore the STEM program which stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Until then, La Paloma grade schoolers will have to just wait. Unless, of course, they want do summer camp. County Parks runs the seven-week session and some of the same kids will attend thanks to financial help from the after-school program. And so it begins. Fallbrook Community Center will once again look like “Kids ‘R Us!”