A Brand New School Year

By Andrea Coleman

With the start of a new school year, the DayBreak staff has jump into full gear with the After School Program. We have enrolled 20 students, most of whom were a part of our summer program, ranging from grades 1-5. Each day the children are welcomed into a place where they feel safe and have the opportunity to learn about Christ, receive academic support, and be exposed to unique enrichment activities.

Hard day at school. But whatever it takes to get the homework done!

We are very excited about two new opportunities the children have this year! The first is a chance for the children to be exposed to the arts.  We are partnering with a local art teacher who leads a one-hour art class for the kids each week.  Ms. Janet has worked with us in the past, and the kids love her! We are excited to welcome her back and provide this opportunity to the kids.

The second opportunity is for our 4^th-5^th graders. Jeremy, a former engineer with Lockheed Martin, leads that age group and uses a curriculum called “LEGO Mindstorms”, created by the famous LEGO Company. This educational experience was created specifically for after school programs and gives the children time to explore and invent their own robotics solutions.  Each week, they engage in activities that will enhance their math, reading, and science skills.

Boys working on their robotics project!

In addition, I would like to highlight a couple of things that are not new to our program but are an important part of what we do. Our parent prayer breakfast was started last spring and held every other week. Per the parents’ requests, we are now meeting weekly, continuing to have breakfast together, fellowship, and study the Bible.  Additionally, parents come in to cook for the kids on the nights they have tutoring. This serves as a great opportunity for the parents to get involved. And lastly, like last year, each child is paired with a tutor, receiving weekly one-on-one tutoring focused specifically on improving their reading skills.

As DayBreak moves into a new school year, we hope to see improvements in each child academically, behaviorally and spiritually as we invest in their lives, supporting them in their academics and teaching them about Christ.

Please pray for each of the children in the After School Program – that they will grow in their academics and in their understanding of who Jesus is.

Lastly, we are still looking for financial contributors to our new robotics program.  If you would like to support that program, please go to our donate page www.daybreakkids.org/donate and click on the “Robotics Program” button to contribute through paypal.  The total cost of the program is $2300.  Thank you for your consideration.