“We are grateful for Savings Bank of Danbury’s generosity and for their support of quality afterschool programming. This grant gives us the ability to help our middle school students grow personally and academically,” said Marie Miszewski, president and CEO, Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut. “Every student deserves the chance to become what they want to be. We’re proud of the work we do to help them along every step of the way.”
The program, one of ESCAPE’s three Youth Development Programs, provides middle school students after school arts instruction and structured homework time. Doors are open every school day from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. during the academic year (mid-September to early June). Students have up to 45 minutes to complete their homework or read.
The remainder of the day is spent in visual and performing arts classes. Courses include cartooning, painting, woodworking, photography, pottery and theatre arts. The program is one of the few after school programs in the area specifically designed for middle-school students; many local programs only support children up through Fifth Grade. They serve students from all three Danbury middle schools (Rogers Park, Broadview and the new Westside Middle School), and provide transportation from school to ESCAPE and then home.
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