As the school year ends, I cannot help but reflect on the incredible growth we saw in our JCA’s After School program. With the ongoing renovation of our Youth Services area and new additions to our team, we met more students than ever before in the 2024-25 school year and we cannot wait for more!
If you didn’t hear the BIG news, thanks to a generous grant from Johnson and Johnson® – exciting new technology made its way into the hands of the children who joined us this year – and we watched our programs associated with robots and coding expand beyond our wildest dreams!
With 130 students in our care, we revamped our offerings to provide elementary and middle school participants with a variety of activities and programs. Some elementary school friends chose to be Explorers and picked an art, STEM, or cultural project, and others chose to be Adventurers, where they burned off energy through sports, physical challenges, and active games.
From a staff perspective, the highlights of the Adventurer and Explorer options were seeing children grow physically in their unique abilities. Our team of outstanding counselors facilitated these activities and watched children gain confidence as their skills progressed throughout the school year. Seeing the athletic, artistic, and STEM-oriented children grow is an incredibly enriching experience.
Our sports counselors, affectionately referred to as Coaches, witness the development of physical abilities as students attempt to beat previous records and score more points, all while playing faster, smarter, and stronger. With the help of our coaches, kids are embracing their passion for competition while learning the essence of sportsmanship – which is another amazing thing to witness as children grow.
We are thrilled to watch as the children who come here expand their interests while creating, playing, and exploring. Whether learning new artistic techniques, engaging in engineering challenges, or exploring a new topic – seeing students’ progress is incredibly rewarding.
When After School alumni join us in their middle school years, they meet in our Teen Connection program. Designed with teens in mind, Teen Connection is our revamped Study Central program, providing middle school students with a chance to have more independence and opportunities to make friends with other children who come here. With a more “free-range” mindset, Teen Connection students decide what interests them and our staff provide the resources for them to explore.
But wait, there’s more! Our incredible youth enrichment programs are supplemental offerings for any child in Jacksonville. Your children don’t have to be enrolled in our After School programs or be members of the JCA to attend our enrichment classes. With a demo kitchen for plenty of cooking, in-depth art classes led by our staff, and access to brand-new tech like a 3D printer, programable robots, and iPads with design software – we are SO EXCITED that kids who come to the JCA will be ready for tomorrow’s world.
The 2024-25 school year is almost done and we cannot wait to top it! We are eager to share more updates that will continue the legacy of our JCA After School programs in the 2025-26 school year. After all, we are the Best in Jacksonville! Make sure your children are part of the excitement next year and sign up now. We offer FREE transportation from select schools with minimum enrollment.
For pricing, availability, and to register please call (904) 730-2100 ext. 228. To learn more about the programs and enrichment classes available for your children, please click here.
