Afterschool Programs for Cherryvale Elementary

Cherryvale Elementary is a rural school situated in the Cherryvale community of Sumter, South Carolina. Serving approximately 500 students from Pre-K to 5^th grade, it's a small school and one of the newer ones in District Two. It offers great programs such TAG (Talented and Gifted), choir, tutoring, Specialized Education, Girl Scouts and PTO (Parent-Teacher Organization). There is also a Parent Facilitator that works in the school and a Parent Resource Center with free or rentable resources. However, the only thing the school appears to be lacking is an after school program.

There are activities that often take place immediately after school, but they vary from year to year and are not scheduled frequently enough to be adequate care. There has been a choir program (once a week), science club (third graders only), and a tutoring program (twice a week and only in the 2^nd semester). Great activities but not an alternative to afterschool care.

Cherryvale lies outside of the town limits of Sumter and the day care facilities and community center inside the limits (District 17) will not pick up children from the District 2 schools for afterschool care, but they will allow them to be enrolled. There is also no bus from Cherryvale that will take kids to their designated afterschool programs.

It can seem like a frightening prospect to parents who will not be home when their children are, especially when the school does not advertise any afterschool care. But, there are two good options: Cherryvale Christian Day Care and Cherryvale Community Center. Both work well with the school but are independent of it and provide afterschool care.

Cherryvale Baptist Child Care

Sponsored by Cherryvale Baptist Church, director Loni Bowen (wife of Associate Pastor Bowen) works very well with the school and has constant contact with Cherryvale teachers, facilitators and the principal. Aware of every holiday and early dismissals she accommodates her day care center and employees to fit the schedules of the schools. Closed only on non-secular holidays (such as Good Friday) she is open when the school is not. To enroll your child at Cherryvale does not require membership in the church.

Afterschool care provides homework time in which the staff will aid the children in their lessons. There is also a Snack Shack for the children to purchase snacks and the proceeds go to benefit the Day Care. One year the goal was to get new chairs for the preschool and another year it was for the mini-bus.

The facility is literally a block from the school, on good day's staff will walk to the school to pick up the children and they all walk back together and on days of inclement weather they use the center's mini-bus. If a parent has to work prior to the opening of school the day care is open at 6:00 a.m. All of the children will then be walked or driven over to the school in time for a breakfast that is offered free to all children regardless of income.

The facility is divided up into three different rooms according to age and there is a playground that just received new equipment this year and a large gymnasium for indoor play. The teachers at Cherryvale will even offer to walk children over to the center if they have stayed after for an extracurricular activity.

For more information on Cherryvale Baptist Child Care visit their facility at 1502 Cherryvale Drive in Sumter, or call Mrs. Bowen at (803) 494-8655. The cost is $6.00 per day which is approximately $120.00 for the month for 1 child. Hours of operation are 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Cherryvale Community Center

Cherryvale community center, located on Confederate road, is approximately one mile from the school. Children walk to the center from afterschool and its services are free. Snacks are provided by the center to the children (with the help of parent donations) and the children also

It is a clean, one-room facility with a wonderful play ground area and a small path in the woods behind the center. Children are not allowed on the path by themselves but staff may end up taking a group around the path for recreation. There are resources in the facility for children to utilize such as books, pencils, crayons and other school supplies.

Its downfalls are that it closes at 5:00 p.m. and the children must walk from the school to the center. There are crossing guards near the school, but after the children have left Reading road (connecting the school with the previously mentioned center) they are on their own and will be walking in all types of weather and through a neighborhood that is questionable.

For more information visit Cherryvale Community Center at 4340 Confederate Road in Sumter (the staff have always been very friendly and eager when I have gone to visit) or call Ms. Rosa Ford of the Parks and Recreation Department at (803) 494-4332. The cost is free, but donations of snack items are expected.

Conclusion

Both of the centers are good options for afterschool care and with the inclusion of a few extracurricular activities thrown in for good measure, a student of Cherryvale will be adequately taken care of during the time they are away from parents. Perhaps this is the reason why the school itself does not have an afterschool program; they know that there are two nearby centers whose primary goal is to care.