School Age

In the mornings, the school age programs serve breakfast and provide quiet activities before the school bus arrives. Children who attend afternoon care will be dropped off at our centers for snack, free play, and group activities. Children who have homework or prefer to read may do so in quiet areas of their classroom. We invest in education and we have available tutors to help your child succeed at school.  Children’s homework and journals will be checked to ensure they are staying on task. Families are encouraged to speak with us if you are aware of an area of study your child is struggling in. We want your child to succeed and enjoy learning. As with all our programs, school age children go outside every day.

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During days when the Utica Public Schools are closed, our centers with after school programs offer care for school age children. Children will be given the opportunity to work on homework, play in the gym, play games, or read. We often have volunteers come to the center to allow children to experience a variety of unique and fun activities. Activities could include yoga, bible, science, music, and more.

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Our goal at Academics First is to provide children with a clean, safe, healthy and developmentally appropriate learning environment where they are encouraged to develop a lifelong love of learning. 

 

Our rooms are designed to feel more like home or a meeting room, allowing kids to feel more comfortable and have more freedom.  

 

Our classrooms are ‘center based’ with theme related activities in learning centers designed to encourage children’s cognitive, social, emotional and physical development. We understand that school age children have a variety of needs after a busy day at school. Some children need to relax, some need to begin their homework, and some need to stretch their muscles. We offer many different activities and support. We have onsite tutors and we hope children will develop a bond with our staff as mentors as they get ready to embark on their journey into becoming young, successful and confident teenagers.

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Academics First offers summer programming for school aged children. We spend time with your child to make sure they are enjoying their summer but continuing to stimulate their learning through activities and centers. Keeping children engaged in learning is imperative to ensure a smooth seamless transition back to school.