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Community Education plays a critical role in helping young people grow from birth to teens. Youth-focused programs and services provide more than just education or entertainment – they contribute to a safe and healthy community by providing young people with engaging activities that help them learn and grow into productive citizens.

This summer, make time for your child to meet friends, learn new things and make fun memories! Anoka-Hennepin Community Education coordinates summer classes, activities and programs at various locations across the school district for children ages birth – fifteen years of age all summer long.

1. Have confidence in letting your child choose.

A typical school day is filled with important lessons and tools to help your child succeed academically. Community Education programs support what your child has learned all year long with hands-on opportunities designed to encourage children to explore a wide range of interests.

In addition to sports, arts and crafts, the Community Schools program works in collaboration with K-12 teachers to design classes that allow students to continue focusing on specific subjects or to explore career paths.

“ Kids are really engaged in these classes,” explains Jamie Law, Community Schools coordinator at Northdale Middle School.“ They get to build on a STEM concept, for example, which they started learning about during the school year with advanced experimentation through Lego robotics in the classes that we offer.”

As a family, you and your child can discuss whether they would like to explore a new interest or work on strengthening skills and talents that he or she may already have a passion for.

2. Foster new friendships.

Summer programs are offered at school locations across the school district allowing children to meet new friends with similar interests. Research shows that extracurricular activities help develop teamwork and social skills that are applicable to the classroom, and will eventually transfer to the workplace.

Summer classes are offered at locations across this district. Find a class or activity at one of your nearby schools to meet neighbors in your own backyard.

3. Dig into outdoor exploration.

Our staff know that kids learn by doing and exploring. Whenever possible, students get outdoors to stretch their legs, enjoy a cool treat, dig for microorganisms to examine under a microscope, or run drills through the grass instead of a gym floor!

Our Early Childhood Family Education teachers say that the outdoors are a great place for preschoolers to practice gross motor skills- running, jumping and climbing. Social / emotional and cognitive development are impacted outdoors, too, children are more likely to invent games, express themselves and learn about the world in their own way as they explore.

4. Our programs are a great value – and valuable.

Youth programs coordinated by Anoka-Hennepin Community Education follow nationally recognized youth program quality assessment( YPQA) standards and processes promoting positive youth development that ensure a quality experience while in our schools.

Community Schools classes and activities can be an affordable way to gauge a child’ s interest in an activity.“ We offer four-to-six session classes ranging from athletics, cooking, art, music and theater activities- which are nice for younger children to try something out,” said Nancy Knop, Community Schools coordinator at Oak View Middle School.“ Families appreciate that before making a year-long time and financial commitment to a team or activity.”

While your child focuses on the activity, our staff is focused on the students.“ Our classes usually have smaller class sizes, which allows for individualized attention and instruction,” said Tim Dahlheimer, Community Schools coordinator at Coon Rapids Middle School.

Adventures Plus school-age care offers the convenience of quality, in-school child care at prices competitive with local child care providers. The summer program provides a safe, nurturing atmosphere for students, emphasizing the development of social, emotional, physical and intellectual skills.( The field trips are pretty fun, too!)

5. Take time to relax – and tame transition terrors.

Students – and even parents – can experience anxiety when transitions to a new school, whether it’ s kindergarten or middle school. Community Education offers programming to help families feel comfortable easing into a new school.

• Adventures Bound: Summer care prepares incoming kindergarten students by combining recreational and academic activities.

• Community Schools; Youth classes and activities: ranging from preschool to middle school expose children to routine and build self-esteem.

• Peak Adventures: Staff provide guidance for youth completing grades five through seven while promoting and developing independence in an effort to ease the transition to middle school in the fall.

6. Stay cool – our programs develop life skills, too.

Studies show that children involved in out-of-school activities and classes – benefit from improved focus, grades, time management and social-emotional development.

“ We are proud to offer preschoolers the unique opportunity for early social interaction in a recreational atmosphere,” Dahlheimer says.“ As they grow older, they develop self-esteem and self-confidence in our classes by making new friends and expanding their knowledge in an interest area that they really care about.”

Each summer and throughout the school year, Community Education also offers safety camps, babysitting or lifeguarding certification.“ These are skills that are useful and applicable to the rest of their lives- for work or for personal safety,” Law said.“ We see kids learn about cooperation in sports or learn how to work within rules to achieve an independent goal.”

Join us! Read more about our programs and how we can support your family this summer – or all year long. www. discovercommunityed. com. ■