After school programming, a huge part of the Edison Elementary experience for students prior to the pandemic, returned with the launch of virtual program offerings in early 2021. Coding for Boys was offered on Tuesdays, Cooking Club was offered on Wednesdays and Coding for Girls was offered on Thursdays.
Student engagement in activities such as after school clubs build socioemotional health and life skills. They bolster healthy behavior, increase investment in the school community, and provide a path to improved attendance and academic success over time.
Both coding clubs were open to 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students and cooking club was open to all students with parent support. The average attendance rate ranged from 42%-100% depending the club with a retention rate between 50%-67% In total, more than ten students and their families participated in these clubs. Unfortunately, the attendance and retention rates were significantly lower than previous years as a different set of barriers arose with virtual programming such as computer fatigue, being home vs daycare, interest level in virtual programs, and daily stressors of living/working remotely. But, the clubs have been set up and structured to easily move to an in-person format. It is expected that the Edison team will be able to offer additional after-school programming like these clubs next school year.
L to R: Jay'R and Brooklynn, two Cooking Club members