Pittsburgh Public Schools Launch Early Childhood Afterschool Program
This content has been compensated as part of an Early Childhood Education promotion for Pittsburgh Public Schools. However, all opinions remain my own. #ppsafterschool
As invested moms, one of our key priorities when it comes to our children is ensuring they get a quality education. While formal education begins at age 5 for most children, research shows that kids who participate in quality early childhood programs get a head start on developing skills that are essential to becoming dynamic learners in Kindergarten and beyond. They carry those skills, behaviors and attitudes with them for a lifetime.
Although, we can agree that there is benefit in early childhood education, it is not always easy for working moms to take advantage of early childhood programs because most centers run from 9 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Not all centers programs provide afterschool care that can allow working moms who are faced with meetings that run later or the occasional overtime requirement to enroll their students.
This is why Brown Mommys is happy to announce Pittsburgh Public Schools is now offering extended hours of operation for some of its programs. We encourage you to do some research and see which facility is right for you.
Pittsburgh's Brookline PreK-5, Colfax K-8, Morrow PreK-8, Phillips K-5 and Crescent Early Childhood Center will all offer after-school programs during the 2013-14 school year from 2:51 to 6:30 p.m. This program will be designed to enrich the learning experience your child is already getting during the school day. Once your child's regular school day has ended, qualified staff members will work to help students with homework and provide fun and age-appropriate activities until you arrive. The programs also has unique connections with organizations like Gateway to the Arts, Carnegie Science Center and Jump Start to expand on the ideas and concepts your little one is learning every day.
Speaking from personal experience, my daughter had a wonderful experience at a PPS early childhood experience. She not only left the program able to count and say her alphabet, but her added social skills had a huge impact on making Kindergarten a success for us. It felt good to partner with PPS to give her the firm foundation she needed. Not only did we discover who our daughter would be a learner, we also came to know more about the role we played in her education as parents.
Early childhood education is extremely important for our brown babies, but even more than that, parental involvement is essential to ensuring they receive the best of what the system has to offer. Get to know your child’s teacher on a first name basis so that the teacher knows you are committed to your child and accountable for sending your child to school willing and ready to learn.
African-American children who get an early start on learning do better in elementary school and are more likely to graduate from college. A great way to take that first step of getting involved in your preschooler’s education is to sign them up for the PPS Early Childhood Education Program. The application deadline is Aug. 9 and you can download and print the application at www.pps.k12.pa.us/earlychildhood. To qualify children should be City of Pittsburgh residents and reach their 3rd birthday by September 30, 2013.
For more information about the Early Childhood After-School Program, visit the website at http://www.pps.k12.pa.us/Page/3340.