As a School Age Community (SAC) Grant recipient, the Care Day Afterschool Program in Warrenton, Missouri, can offer continual opportunities for students to engage in various STEM programming.
Naturally, Care Day coordinator Dr. Janelle Stanek seized the chance to register for the Missouri AfterSchool Network’s STEM Mobile Lab; “When MASN came to me with the idea of the STEM Mobile Lab, I was so excited as it covers what our program is based on– STEM curriculum for our students.”
Dr. Janelle Stanek and the Care Day staff recently experienced a week of STEM-focused programming led by MASN’s STEM Educator, Richard Irwin. Students participated in an array of activities such as rigamajigs, coding robots, scientific goggles experiments, interactive skeletons, and an over-the-top planetarium dome.
Student-centered activities are just one part of the week-long, customized agenda. Before the student experience, Care Day staff engaged in on-site professional development covering the STEM activities students would participate in. This teacher-centered professional development boosts staff confidence in teaching STEM curriculum, reinforcing the benefits of learning alongside a STEM Educator.
“The teachers benefited from the hands-on activities, expressing how much fun they had during the professional development training. Once the activities involved students, the teachers were appreciative of the advanced knowledge to then lead by example, putting to use their newly acquired STEM knowledge,” said Irwin.
Student engagement activities built up to an evening of family fun when the STEM Mobile Lab played host to a STEM Family Night. Families took part in the hands-on, minds-on activities alongside their student, directly seeing the connection to school-day learning. In total, over 200 Care Day Program students experienced the impact of the STEM Mobile Lab. This impressive number of students highlights the benefits of a STEM-focused afterschool opportunity in which Dr. Stanek encourages other districts to register for.
“I would recommend all districts that have any interest to give it a try because the students absolutely love it,” said Dr. Stanek. The praise continued, “These programming efforts open so many doors for all students; the possibilities are endless.”
With diverse topics that tie into afterschool programming, such as physical education, arts, crafts, sports, and STEM academics, students experience these activities while parents finish the workday. Dr. Stanek and the Care Day Program, teaming up with the STEM Mobile Lab, puts a spotlight on the importance of afterschool programming and youth development in Missouri.
