Expanding Opportunity

A new after-school program is setting kids up for success by enriching their academic experience.

Our community shines its brightest when new and innovative ideas transform into robust solutions to complex problems. At the Community Foundation, we are proud to help seed these ideas, bring partners together, and propel the community towards a stronger future.

Photos courtesy of the Sioux Falls School District

After-school programs, with their profound effect on students' attendance and success, are an integral part of what the Sioux Falls School District is doing to engage the next generation of community leaders and set them up to thrive.

The Community Learning Center model that runs in all of Sioux Falls' 22 elementary schools sees the school district partner with local nonprofit organizations to support out-of-school time and enrichment activities for kids in the community. The program is also tuition-based and arranged to make it more affordable for lower-income families. Scholarships are available for a wide range of families to ensure this opportunity is open to as many elementary students as possible.

"Our students don't exist in isolation. They have family, friends, and community around them," said Rebecca Wimmer, coordinator of community partnerships and after-school programs for the Sioux Falls School District. "The more we can engage that community and provide opportunities for children to learn and grow, the more successful they will be."

Community Learning Center programming is set to expand to middle and high school, but space can be more of a challenge there than in elementary schools. Under construction at George McGovern Middle School is an attached and dedicated Boys & Girls Club facility that will provide year-round programming.

"What you find is middle school students really need that dedicated space to belong outside of school time," said Stacy Jones, CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire. "The Club gives them that safe, educational and fun place to be after school and in the summer."

The Club at George McGovern, funded entirely through philanthropic dollars, will transform the landscape of out-of-school-time programming for middle school students in the area, fostering engagement among students and opening new opportunities for their success.

"We see that children from lower-income backgrounds are more likely to be left to their own devices because their parents have to work, or they can't afford additional care," said Jones. "Getting those kids into a more structured program is vital because it greatly increases the odds that they will be more successful at school and in life. Data shows that children in these programs have better grades, have better school attendance and are more likely to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It can be a real game-changer in a child’s life."

The Community Learning Center model is an innovative solution to a persistent problem in education and it took a community-wide effort to concept, build, and maintain.

"At the Community Foundation, we are privileged to be an early partner to innovative ideas, helping to nurture them from inception to reality," said Foundation President Andy Patterson. "Through collaboration and dialogue, it’s inspiring to see those ideas spark meaningful change, fueled by philanthropy."

Wimmer says that quality after-school programs act as an equalizer and allow kids to excel regardless of socioeconomic background. "When I walk into our after-school program, I see a wide variety of kids all interacting together, and you can't tell whether a child is on a scholarship or full-pay, or what their home life looks like. They're just kids having fun together like they should," she said. "That's what the Community Learning Centers are all about."