South Mountain YMCA Gives Tablets to After-School Program

The Civic House after-school program just took a leap into the future of education and got some help creating more family time for its young students thanks to the South Mountain YMCA.

The YMCA presented Civic House with Kindle Fire tablets this week to accommodate the program's 40 students, allowing them to finish web-based schoolwork before going home.

“Helping students complete their online math and literacy assignments will remove the stress of having to get homework done during family time,’’ said Eric Stoddard, the South Mountain YMCA's senior program director.

Stoddard said the push for the tablets came when a number of parents said they commute from New York City and often have a limited time during the evenings to spend with their children, and it is often encroached upon when children have homework to do.

The Civic House is also going through some other changes, only serving third through fifth graders, with students in younger grades moving to the YMCA's main building on Jefferson Avenue.

“Studies have shown that grouping children by age and encouraging physical activity maximize their ability to learn,’’ Stoddard said. “By separating the older children from the younger children, we can challenge the older group and give them more ‘voice and choice’ with programming while also providing a well-rounded, age-appropriate program for the younger group.’’

The Civic House will also integrate a program putting an emphasis on STEM fields to stimulate children's interest in science, technology, engineering and math.

If the implementation of the tablets is successful, the YMCA will make an effort to introduce them to more places later this year and the next.