Right at School Board Presentation

Dunlap Community Unit School District #323

Right At SchoolSurvey Summary

Survey conducted the week of March 5, 2012

Total Number of Responses: 442

What school does your child attend?

Total Number of Responses per Building

110

62

81

107

82

Banner Elementary School

Dunlap Grade School

Hickory Grove Elementary School

Ridgeview Elementary School

Wilder-Waite Elementary School


How often might you need after-school enrichment programming or extended day activities?

157

93

72 74

43

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Every day 3 or 4 times aweek

1 or 2 times aweek

On occasion Never


How often might you need before-school programming?

37

14 19

131

221

0

50

100

150

200

250

Every day 3 or 4 times aweek

1 or 2 times aweek

On occasion Never

Total Number of Responses: 1,255

What elements are most important to you?

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

337

230 245

112 114

217

Total Number of Responses: 1,746

Creative Capers (Mystery Writing, Drama and Arts) 161Chicago Style Improvisation 48Ecology Explorers 138International Art 89Movie Making 114Mural Mania (Stories & Art) 168Olympic Fit (Fitness & Nutrition) 263Podcasting 49Public Speaking 122Social Entrepreneurs 95Stitch, Sew and Give 99USTA Youth Tennis 174YogArts (Yoga & Art) 158Zine‐Time (Magazine Making) 68

For planning purposes only, please select those thatmight appeal to you for fall, 2012

Right At School

Parent Comments• This is wonderful! While our district offers the best in terms of appropriate learning times based on a child’s biological

age, having enrichment options as opposed to the usual day care would be a nice alternative. It may even be utilized by parents who don’t use a daycare provider now.

• As a full-time working single mom, after school enrichment activities would be extremely helpful. My child currently isenrolled in a daycare after school, but these activities would offer challenges and foster creativity, rather than just an hour or two of babysitting in the afternoon! Great idea!

• This is an excellent idea to bring this program into the school where kids get extra time to spend in the areas they areinterested in and at the same time stay in the school with friends. I am very excited about this and wish that it will cometrue. I express my sincere thanks to the school and district board for trying to bring this. All the best.

• I think this would be a great offering. There are so many children that have both parents working. I would love knowingthat my child is in one place all day and safe.

• This would help SO many Dunlap families, especially will all the changes in the district next fall. I think this is an importantstep in trying to make school family and community friendly rather than “shipping” all our students off to daycares every day.

• I am really interested in after school extra-curricular activities that provide a range of exposure to kids. Mental activitieslike Chess, Puzzle-Solving, and Math Olympiad/Math Counts for 5th grade increases focus in students and provides opportunities for competing in the real world. I am in favor of an after-school program that can provide such options to kids and do not mind paying tuition for it.

Right At School & Dunlap Community School District

Partners In Student Enrichment

Why After School Enrichment?

• Children in after school programs improve significantly in performance and behavior (AfterSchool Alliance)

• Parents whose children are not in afterschool programs miss over a week of work per year due to childcare needs (U.S. Dept. of Education)

• Programs combine education, socialization, fitness, free play and child care at half the cost of a babysitter

Still, Most Programs Fall Short

• Can cost district significant resources: time, money, and personnel

• Can require students to take a bus to another destination

• Often run by well meaning but under-trained volunteers or employees whose primary focus is child care, not academic & fitness enrichment

• Often run on some days or some hours, but not every single day school is in session—making working parents scramble for support

How Is Right At School Different?

• In each school every day school is in session • Turn key solution—we manage online

registration, billing, hiring, training, etc. • Works collaboratively with existing afterschool

providers—children can use Right At School after their other activities are over

• Proven curriculum under continuous process evaluation and improvement

• Share 7.5% of all afterschool enrichment fees with the district

Afternoons Start With A Healthy Snack

After Snack, It’s Time For Enrichment

Drama & Improv Creative Capers

Ecology Explorers International SmartArt

Movie Making Mural Mania (Stories & Art)

Olympic Fit (Fitness & Nutrition)

Homework Zone Podcasting

Public Speaking Social Entrepreneurs

Stich, Sew & Give USTA Youth Tennis

Zine-Time (Magazine Making)

After Enrichment, Some Children Go Home, Others Attend Extended Day

Extended Day Activities Center Around Our 4C Enrichment Curriculum

• Character development activities include food drives, social entrepreneurism activities, mentoring projects and international pen pals

• Confidence development activities include drama and improv, leadership games, introduction to basic financial literacy and other real world skills

• Creativity building activities include music appreciation and creation, acting, sculpture, painting, creative writing and storytelling workshops.

• Conditioning programming teaches health and nutrition, yoga and relaxation exercises, and instructional youth tennis with our national partnership with the USTA.

At the end of the day we have student choices

• Gym Games

• Podcasting

• Arts and Crafts

• Board Games

• Reading

• Playground

Parent Testimonials

"I love how convenient this program is! The staff is wonderful and I know my son loves attending each day. I think this is a perfect balance of an extension of his school day and playtime with his peers. I would recommend this to other families in a heartbeat!" —J. Eboreime, parent "Right at School rocks!! I was thrilled to learn our school was offering the program, especially for the first day of school. Online registration was quick and easy in the convenience of my home. As a parent of a nine year old boy I am very impressed to see young men involved in both the before and afterschool day, great role modeling guys!" —K. Potter, parent

Principal Testimonials

"Right At School understands our children, our parents and our school requirements. You have shown great flexibility in offering us the kind of academic enrichment our school needs." —Krish Mohip, Principal, Walsh Elementary School "Right At School is great! It eases our administrative workload and our parents love it. Your staff is excellent and I have never had a single problem with the programs." —Youlanda Royster, Assistant Principal, Murray Language Academy "We love Right At School. You guys are so flexible and do everything--it's a piece of cake for the administration. The kids get their homework done, they learn and have fun, and parents are thrilled that their children are safe in our school. This is so much better than programs we've had in the past, and I love it that the kids are here, safe in our school." —Melissa Raich, Assistant Principal, Sauganash Elementary School

Right At School Program: Q & A

1. How does Right at School support the District’s strategic plan?

Goal 4 states “To ensure a satisfying and productive partnership with families and the community.” We believe that the Right at School program provides a valuable partnership that also aligns with our mission and goals. In addition, a core value reads “Continual stakeholder feedback guides improvement.” Based on survey data from parents, there is a need and desire for the kind of services that Right at School can offer our families.

2. How will the Right at School program impact the area businesses that currently provide before/after school care? Is there a plan to communicate to them?

We will communicate with area child care centers after the Board has reviewed the information and provides consent to move forward. Although it does not require board action, we’ll want to make sure that the Board is “on board”. Then, we will provide a communication plan for all parents and child care providers to inform them of our plans to implement “Right at School” in the 2012‐13 school year.

3. Will the program take away from our community providers?

Parents who are satisfied with the quality of their current providers are less likely to change providers, but those parents who want the type of enrichment that Right At School offers may switch.

4. How does the Right at School program address the days when school is not in session, such as

institute days or holidays? Today, some of the local before/after school care providers offer a full day option to their customers for the days school is not in session. Will the Right at School program offer a full day program for these days?

We have the option to run the program on days that the schools are not in session. If there is enough parent interest, it can be accommodated.

5. Is the Right At School program offered on half days?

If there is parent interest, this can be accommodated.

6. How will the Right At School program affect the utilization of the K‐5 buildings with respect to the other programs that currently use the buildings (Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Dunlap Rec, etc)? Will these other programs need to find alternate locations?

No, ALL existing building‐users will have priority. The Right at School program will not disrupt or relocate other organizations or groups that have been accustomed to using our school facilities.

7. Will the program interfere with middle school or high school athletics?

Right at School will work around the school schedule and only use approved areas at those times that are convenient for the school.

8. Will the program require additional custodial needs for more cleaning? Will this increase the cost?

Right at School leaves rooms the way they are found. They do not leave food behind, and if furniture is moved for a program, they return it to the original position. The only issue would be if custodians wanted access to a room while Right at School was using it, which would require coordination. While there is no "greater cost," Right at School does provide a 7.5% revenue share in part to offset any potential inconvenience.

9. Who will be in charge of discipline during the Right At School Program?

Right At School educators and Site Directors are trained educators, and they manage the process on their own. Right at School does not need to use school resources in any manner. All staff members attend orientations and training prior to working at our schools which includes all safety & discipline protocols.

10. What about those who can't afford to send their children to Right At School?

Right at School keeps costs as affordable as possible. Working families who use Right At School five days per week will see hourly costs at less than $6/hour ($5.58/hour, to be precise). Fees are a bit higher for those who seek enrichment only one or two days per week, but even then it is less than $10/hour.

11. How is building security handled?

Right at School uniformed personnel come to the main office at the beginning of the afternoon and check in with the school office. Right at School has their own doorbell system set up so when parents come to pick up their children they press their portable doorbell and site directors let them in.

12. Does Right At School have the ability to accommodate special needs students?

While they have an outstanding industry leading educator to student ratio (10 ‐1), there are some special needs students that they can and cannot accommodate. This is discussed on a case by case basis. While they do not provide one‐on‐one aides, they are committed to working with families to meet their after school needs.

13. Who does Right at School employ and how are they trained?

Right at School has good relationships with local colleges and universities. They recruit educators to serve on their staff. In addition, all staff goes through extensive training and are supervised and evaluated regularly. Their program must comply with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) regulations.

14. How does Right at School evaluate its success?

Students, parents and school personnel are surveyed on a regular basis. Input is used to make revisions and improvements to the program. Ultimately, the success of the program (and its longevity) is measured by the number of students that enroll in the program.

15. Will the Right At School program be offered at all buildings?

Yes. As long as there is a minimum of at least 20 students, a school program can be offered.

16. How do parents register and pay for services?

Right at School offers online payment and registration.

17. How can I learn more about the Right at School program?

Visit their web site at http://rightatschool.com/