YMCA program shows improved grades
Published 11:45 pm Tuesday, September 17, 2013
- Cox Elementary students who participated in the Moultrie YMCA’s 21st Century Community Learning Center summer program explore robotics in the science/technology center.
Cox Elementary students who participated in the 2012-2013 Moultrie YMCA afterschool program showed significant improvement in math and reading grades, according to an evaluation submitted to the Georgia Department of Education and the Colquitt County Board of Education.
The Moultrie YMCA 21st Century Community Learning Center operated at Friendship Alliance Church and served 72 students in grades K-5 from Cox Elementary, according to a press release from the YMCA. The program provided an academic component and additional learning opportunities in such areas as computers, dance, arts and crafts, and life skills. The program, funded by a grant from the Georgia Department of Education, is operating again at Friendship Alliance Church during the 2013-2014 school year.
Seventy-five percent — three out of four — of participating students in the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades improved their grades in math from the first nine weeks of school to the last nine weeks of school. Nearly two out of three (61 percent) of the students improved their grades in reading from the first nine weeks to the last nine weeks. In addition, 75 percent or more of the participants in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades met or exceeded reading standards on the Georgia CRCT end-of-the-year competency tests.
Besides the program’s academic successes, school-day teachers said that 83 percent of the afterschool participants improved their behavior in class during the school day, the Y reported. Parents and students also were pleased with the program. All but one parent said in a survey that they were very satisfied with the program, and 83 percent of the students said in a survey that they felt the program helped them improve their behavior.
The afterschool program also held five Family Night events, including providing guest speakers who discussed reading and math strategies. The program received programming and activity support from the Colquitt County Arts Center and Beans and Strings and bus transportation from the Colquitt County Board of Education.
To attend the after school program, a child must be enrolled in Cox Elementary and a teacher referral must be made to Misty Trouille, Moultrie YMCA 21st CCLC Site Director. Referrals are accepted at the start of the school year. For more information about the afterschool program, please contact Misty Trouille or Lynn Hamm at 229-985-1154.