21st Century REACH
begins exciting second year

The following is the third in a series of Odessa File columns from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County relating to ongoing CCE educational activities and offerings.

By Matt Bramall
CCE 21st Century REACH 4-H
After School Program Coordinator for Watkins Glen

The 21st Century REACH Program is very excited to be starting our second year of after school programming. Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Schuyler County, Watkins Glen Central School District and Odessa-Montour Central School District have partnered to bring the 21st Century REACH program to Schuyler County. Odessa-Montour is the lead partner and provides organizational leadership, and CCE brings its expertise in 4-H youth development and delivers positive youth development programing for students in the 3rd to 8th grades. The program is funded by a federal grant through GST BOCES. There is no fee for participating students.

The 21st Century grant supports the creation of an after school community learning center that provides academic enrichment opportunities for children during non-school hours. The grant has allowed for the creation of two sites: one at Watkins Glen Central School District and one at Odessa-Montour Hanlon Elementary School. Both sites have served and will continue to serve students through summer programs and after school programs.

The program had a very successful first year and began its second year over the summer. During the last school year, the program delivered services to over 150 children from both districts. Both sites also offered very well-received summer programs. The Watkins Glen and Odessa-Montour sites offered six weeks of incredible programming including music and drama, robotics and outdoor education.

The program helps students meet state and school standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and math; offers students a broad array of youth development enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs; offers 35 minutes of tutoring; and offers workshops and other educational services to the families of participating children. The school year program runs daily between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. at both Watkins Glen and Odessa-Montour.

After school programs have been shown to greatly improve academic performance as they create better attitudes toward schools, increase attendance and reduce tardiness, decrease suspension and dropout rates, increase school performance, grades and test scores, and increase homework completion.

Staff from CCE and both school districts are currently busy putting together after school programming for the 2018-19 school year. The program also provides busing after school. The Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development and Parenting Education Program provides leadership on family engagement programs, projects and opportunities for both school districts. The success of the program can be attributed to the incredible staff of teachers and small group sizes, which allow for a 1 to 6 tutoring ratio. In addition, REACH offers a diverse array of enrichments, including robotics, forensics, nutrition and citizenship.

The 21st Century REACH After School Enrichment Program at Watkins Glen will begin its fall session on October 1. You can enroll online now at: https://goo.gl/forms/6Rx3s4UwJmBb5GX42.

For further information or a PDF of the Watkins Glen fall enrollment application, you can contact the program coordinator, Matthew J. Bramall, by email at mjb527@cornell.edu or by phone at (607) 333-0302.

The 21st Century REACH After School Enrichment Program at Odessa-Montour will begin its fall session on September 24. For further information or a PDF of the Odessa-Montour fall enrollment application, you can contact the program coordinator, Melinda Brewster, by email at mb2457@cornell.edu or by phone at (607) 333-5965.

Photo in text: Matthew J. Bramall (Photo provided)

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For the first column in this series, click here.
For the second column in this series, click here.

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