The Youth Foundation PowerHours Out-of-School Program is currently available at the following schools:

   • Avon Elementary School
   • Berry Creek Middle School
   • Gypsum Creek Middle School
   • Gypsum Elementary School
   • June Creek Elementary School
   • Meadow Mountain Elementary School

 

 

 

 

Power Hours After School - Sharing Dreams for Student Success

Over 900 children participate in The Youth Foundation Power Hours After School every week, contributing to increased student achievement, setting and achieving personal goals, participating in recreational and content rich cultural exploration, boosting student engagement and inspiring children to learn. The Youth Foundation Power Hours After School is a comprehensive approach to improving children’s education and engagement in school through extended learning opportunities that place an emphasis on closing the achievement gap and helping children to be successful in school.

The Youth Foundation’s Power Hours After School Programs provide children safe and healthy surroundings, and help from teachers who listen and care. With compassion and nurturing, The Youth Foundation offers skills for our children to learn to believe in themselves and to be stronger, more communicative, and more able to deal with their personal situations. Good grades, personal accomplishments in after school recreational activities and time to feel safe are what the Youth Foundation strives to give each and every child who is “on the brink of success.”

Power Hours After School is not only an after school study skills and tutoring program; students also have an opportunity to better themselves through academic support and a chance to take ownership of their school career. Power Hours After School also offers students a vast array of enrichment opportunities: students might be learning to play the violin after they have completed their homework, or beginning to trust their own ideas through art exploration, possibly learning tai kwon do, understanding the basics of nutrition and fitness, or participating in service learning projects, which engage young people in their community and empower them to be our community’s greatest resource. Our after school enrichment programs also encourage and foster positive character values including respect and responsibility, which form the foundation and moral fabric of a vital community. The Power Hours After School Program is staffed with local certified teachers and is designed to provide the necessary autonomy for success, while providing the appropriate support to help children succeed; each school has the flexibility to offer a variety of enriching experiences and match the needs of each of their students.

Academics

The Youth Foundation play’s an essential role with Eagle County Schools in providing extended learning time to help students reach grade level proficiency in their reading skills across all socio-economic and cultural landscapes. Time matters when it comes to education. In order to help close the achievement gap and see all our students excel, The Youth Foundation assists in offering extended learning opportunities. Through the After School Enrichment program, participants receive two additional hours each week of small group guided reading time. The guided reading program is structured based on the literacy program used by the Eagle County School District, Literacy by Design, and focuses on all aspects of literacy—phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, critical thinking, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension strategies.

 

Music & Cultural Enrichment

During our after school enrichment program, we partner with our local cultural organization – “Bravo!” who provides musical instruments so we can offer violin lessons, keyboarding lessons, and drumming for children in our after school programs.

Studies show that learning to play a musical instrument advances the physical, mental, emotional, and social development of students and improves listening skills. Lessons take place during the after school enrichment program for students who participate in two 45 minute weekly sessions.

Musical programs enhance a student's sense of self esteem as well as their social skills. Students become a part of a positive group and organization. Not only do students profit socially from music programs, but they also gain academically. Several studies have confirmed that music directly enhances learning through increased spatial development. Math and reading are improved by learning rhythms and decoding notes and symbols. With six years of violin lessons behind our after-school literacy programs, our goals for this cultural literacy component include:

• Increased levels of responsibility through caring for their musical instrument
• Increased organizational abilities by working on sequential tasks
• Increased self-concept indicated through musical performance and relationships with peers
• Increased problem solving and critical thinking skills