Growth Public School and Edmo: A Before and After School Care Partnership Families Can Trust

EDMO: A Trusted Partner in Providing Before and After School Care

Since 2020, GPS and EDMO have partnered to provide before and after care to our community. EDMO has over 19 years of experience working with youth, and currently partners with 200+ schools across the region. They provide equitable access to out-of-school programs that combine STEAM curriculum with social emotional learning to help every kid cultivate a sense of self, own their impact and show up in the world with curiosity, courage and kindness.

Thanks to a recent GPS grant from the CA Department of Education, the EDMO program will increase its capacity from 60 to 80 students for the 2023-24 school year.

Easing Stress for Working Families

We get it. Juggling a full-time job with all the demands of parenting is tough. From school dropoff and pickup and getting dinner on the table every night to keeping the house organized and staying on top of sports schedules, parenting “well” can sometimes feel like a tall order. Through the GPS partnership with EDMO, we do our best to set our families up for success by offering a variety of before and after care options to support a full range of work schedules and life configurations.

Before and After Care Hours and Structure

EDMO’s before and after care program opens at 6:30 am and runs until 6 pm daily. According to Christen Kinney, the EDMO Camp Director @ GPS, the before school morning program is very relaxed. For many of the kids who start their day at GPS early, they want an extension of their home environment before the school day gets underway. Kids have the freedom to work together or independently, and are offered a variety of options for activities, including art projects that incorporate fuse beads, bracelet-making, coloring, and drawing, as well as puzzles, blocks, and other manipulative toys. In the morning, the kids get to choose. Some even opt to lay down and rest in a cozy spot in the art room where the morning EDMO program takes place. Students can either bring breakfast from home or take advantage of the free breakfast offered before school starts at 8:15 am.

The after-school program starts with a snack from the Sac City Unified Central Kitchen and is followed by outdoor time. “Our kids come into the program with so much energy! So it’s essential that we give them plenty of time to get outdoors and find an outlet for that energy before they come back inside for the rest of the afternoon,” notes Kinney.

After spending time outdoors playing with friends, the kids settle in for academic time, during which time after-school staff are available to support students with assigned homework. Thanks to strong communication between the GPS teaching staff and EDMO, the after-school staff also offer additional exercises to reinforce whatever concepts students are working on in the classroom.

After academic time, kids engage in an EDMO activity, which follows a STEAM model. For kindergarten students, the activity is generally art or makerspace focused, while for the older students, the activities may also include more creation-based uses of technology. For example, kids learned how to make their own movie as part of a recent unit.

EDMO staff also periodically plan cultural activities and celebrations. They most recently planned an event that was free and open to the public for Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (in May). Sheldon High School’s Pacific Islander Club, Lion Dance Club, and Asian Appreciation Club offered free dances and demonstrations, booths were set up to educate students, families, and community members about the unique traditions of each country.

Cost and How to Register

EDMO partners with Child Action, Inc.* to offset the cost of care for qualifying families. Families are encouraged to check eligibility and apply early – SLOTS FILL UP QUICKLY.

Follow this two-step process to determine the cost for your family and join the waitlist.

1. Find out if your family qualifies to receive assistance by completing a two-question eligibility survey here. (After you complete the quiz, you will see a pop-up message letting you know if you qualify to complete the full application process, which will determine the exact amount of assistance you will receive.)
   

2. Once you decide to enroll your child in EDMO, fill out the registration link so you can be placed on the waitlist for the current (or upcoming) school year:

* Note: Child Action, Inc. is a nonprofit that helps families in Sacramento County access affordable, quality child care and early education services. It is primarily funded by the California Department of Social Services, Child Care and Development Division (CCDD).