Early ISD has added a new program, ACE (Afterschool Centers on Education) at Early Primary, Elementary, and Middle schools. ACE is administered by the Texas Education Agency and funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program through the US Department of Education. It offers highly effective, rigorous, research-based programs that focus on academic assistance, enrichment, family and parental support services, and college and workforce readiness.
Research has shown that one in four children are alone and unsupervised after school. Students who regularly attend after school programs have shown improved test scores, improved school attendance, more engaged in learning, experience social and emotional strengths, build greater self-confidence, develop leadership, critical thinking, and team-building skills, and experience improved health and wellness.
The ACE program will be targeting academic performance, attendance, behavior, promotion rates, and graduation rates. There will be ongoing data review of student voice and choice, conferencing with school day staff and administration, and parent engagement opportunities.ACE will have a before and after school component. The before school program will be Monday through Friday beginning one hour prior to the start of the school day and consist of homework help, brain gym activities, and learning a new language. The afterschool program will be Monday through Thursday beginning at 2:30 p.m. at Primary school and 3:30 p.m. on the Elementary and Middle school campuses, and ending at 5:30 p.m. on all campuses. The after school program will begin with a healthy snack and an hour of homework help then the students will choose between three i-University courses daily. Academics / College Readiness (i-Succeed), Fine Arts (i-Create), and Physical Education (i-Fitness) courses will provide an environment of excitement where instructors utilize a hands-on approach to project-based learning. All activities will be embedded with academic skills in real life applications. An i-Fitness course might include martial arts, soccer or dance activities. These will engage children in character building and STEM activities. The i-Create activities will encompass engineering concepts, fine arts, fashion, careers, and much more. Other courses might include i-Business, i-Spend, i-Culture, etc.
The ACE staff is always looking for volunteers and they encourage individuals to partner with them through volunteering to assist students with homework or to teach children a new skill or hobby. The team is also seeking organization and business partners to share their careers with our students. The Meetings are being scheduled and ACE team members may be calling your business, church, or service group soon. Please note, they will not be asking for money, but will seek ideas for program excellence. The ACE team also hopes to gain community volunteers to bring enriching experiences from time to time as well to the children involved in the program.
The ACE team has already partnered with many area businesses including Willie’s T’s, TSTC, Howard Payne University, Ranger College, Heart of Texas Martial Arts, Coast 2 Coast Soccer, Victory Life Church, Prosperity Bank, Home Depot, The Family Services Center, Texas A&M Agri-Life Extension Service and 4-H Center, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Grace Baptist Church, and Early First Baptist Church. Those interested in partnering with the ACE program are encouraged to contact the ACE office at 325-643-2919 or email ACEteam@earlyisd.net.
Pictured above are ACE Staff members: Sherry Clark – Project Director; Kerri Jacobson – Family Engagement Specialist; Lila Mobley – Primary Site Coordinator; Debbie Hagood – Elementary Site Coordinator; and Denise Lewis – Middle School Site Coordinator.
