Parents who juggle jobs, carpooling and loads of homework in the afternoon will have some relief this school year as Pillow Academy offers a new after-school program for students in grades 1-8.
This supervised study program will begin immediately following school and last until 5:30 p.m., when many parents get off work. It will be offered every day as long as school is in session.
Ellen Mae Coleman, one of the facilitators of the program, is excited about what this will mean for students and parents.
"This will be a place where children can come and have a time of supervised study, snack time and supervised free time," Coleman said.
"We are hoping that we can cut down on the time children may waste that could be spent doing written homework in the afternoons."
Coleman also said that although the program is not designed to be a tutoring session, children will be able to get help with specific questions they may have about their homework.
"Many parents who work do not get off until 5:30 p.m.," Coleman said. "We can help children get a lot of the written work done so the parents won't be so stressed around supper time. Then, they can sit down after supper and do more actual 'study' time if needed."
Coleman said she has been observing a similar program at Madison-Ridgeland Academy for some time, and she has patterned this program after the one at MRA.
The way it works is simple: For the first hour, children will sit scattered throughout the classroom and work on written homework.
Teachers will walk around the room and make sure students are actually working on homework. This is followed by a snack, which will be provided, and then students may return to studying or enjoy some supervised free play time outside.
Coleman, along with teacher Pam Myers, will be in charge of the program. The cost is $140 per month, and parents are encouraged to sign up their children for the entire year. This is a separate fee and is not included in Pillow Academy's tuition.
"Although we encourage students to sign up for the entire year, parents can pick the days when they want their child to come to the program," Coleman said. "This will allow them to work around other activities such as soccer, piano lessons or other after-school
activities."
Coleman said parents do not have to commit to the entire year, but if they decide to drop out for a month or so, they will be readmitted only if the space allows. If the program is full, they will be added to a waiting list.
Anyone interested in signing up for the program should call Coleman at 254-7651.
