beyond 3:30
Thousands of kids in Toronto’s underserved communities miss out on after-school programming for financial reasons. We’re trying to change that. It’s during the hours after school lets out that our children are most vulnerable.
Instead of spending time on the streets, or going home to an empty apartment, beyond 3:30 gives children between the ages of 8 and 14 a safe and welcoming place for sports and physical fitness, a nutritious meal, and homework support each school day — opportunities that are out of reach for most families facing poverty issues. beyond 3:30 is offered free to all participants.
beyond 3:30 is unlike any other program of its kind. We operate right in schools, making it safe and easy for children to attend. There’s a big focus on nutrition, as well as sports and physical fitness. Our Junior Chefs’ Club is a big draw, and brings many new participants to the program. And, with programs like the Financial Literacy Course, and with Homework Support, beyond 3:30 participants not only become more prepared to succeed in high school, but also in life itself. Our homework staff liaise directly with daytime school staff to make sure children get the support they need. In recent years we’ve expanded, and opened six beyond 3:30 Junior programs to support younger participants.
To help address learning loss, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, beyond 3:30 has expanded academic support to include tutoring, both in-person and online. We have also made online tutoring available, twice per week, to all students enrolled in any school that has a beyond 3:30 program, as well as some additional schools.
At beyond 3:30, 72% of participants said they gained a much better understanding of nutrition and food preparation, 68% became much more physically active, and over 70% improved their grades.
The research can’t be ignored, and it proves it’s working. Our participants are developing better social skills, increasing self-esteem, and learning important life skills while getting much needed physical activity and nutrition in a safe environment.
beyond 3:30 is now in 19 schools, and the children love it. We would like it to be in even more schools in the years to come. But to do this, we need your support.
* The City of Toronto has identified 31 neighbourhoods in Toronto for targeted investment and support. The lack of services facing many of Toronto’s inner suburban neighbourhoods is a major barrier to opportunity for many people particularly newcomers and youth.
The Impact
Before joining beyond 3:30, a 12-year-old girl went home to an empty apartment. With the TV as her only source of company, she would often fall asleep on the couch. She rarely got any exercise, completed her homework, or had a proper dinner. A school friend told her about beyond 3:30, and after reluctantly joining, she can’t get enough of the program. Now she’s healthier, happier, and finishes her homework on time.
When he had nothing to do after school, a Grade 7 student started getting into trouble on the streets. His mother enrolled him in beyond 3:30 where he made new friends who were positive influences in his life. He is now more cooperative with his family and is developing leadership skills in school.
In The News
Demand for tutors outpacing supply | CBC News
January 9, 2023
After a challenging few years, many students across Toronto are in need of academic support. CBC News visited beyond 3:30 to see our small-group tutoring in action.
To watch the full video, click here: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2159486019743
Tutoring is helping kids catch up — but there aren’t enough spaces for students in need | CBC News
December 22, 2022
Though students are back in the classroom, they’re still feeling the impact of the past few years on their education. Some students need support catching up. Recently, CBC News visited beyond 3:30 to see our small-group tutoring in action.
To read the full article, click here:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/catchup-tutoring-demand-1.6677383
beyond 3:30 Programs
Sports and Physical Fitness
With a minimum of 60 minutes of skills-oriented training, beyond 3:30 participants are becoming healthier and learning important leadership and teamwork skills — not to mention excelling at sports and having a great time doing it. 64% of participants said that they learned something new about fitness and sport. The majority of beyond 3:30 participants attend the program all 5 days of the week, and while the hour of fitness training is a big draw, many also credit the additional 30 minutes of physical games, like octopus or dodge ball, among their favourite parts.
Nutrition - Junior Chefs' Club
The Junior Chefs’ Club is a cornerstone of beyond 3:30, often encouraging children through the door. Under the supervision of trained Nutrition Staff, a rotating crew of participants learn how to cook easy, healthy and inexpensive meals. Then they do the dishes! By providing them healthy food every single day we help improve their immediate health and reduce behavioral issues. By teaching them how to plan, shop for and prepare their own meals, we give them the skills they need to keep themselves healthy for the rest of their lives.
Homework Support
Our team liaises directly with daytime school staff to ensure beyond 3:30 children get targeted after-school support to learn better study habits and achieve better grades. Beyond 3:30 children have said that participation in the program helped them work harder in school, and 70% said their grades improved as a direct result. All of our children have the ability to succeed, they just need the tools to be able to: beyond 3:30 is providing those tools.
To help address the learning loss that students experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in the spring of 2022, in addition to our regular academic programming, we launched in-person and online tutoring.
Financial Literacy
The Financial Literacy Program is designed to help introduce the children to important, real-life issues and lessons. They learn about things like interest, mortgages, and RRSPs as a way to get them familiar with the concepts to take away any fear or apprehension. Tailored to a younger age group, the sessions are games-based and use simple language they find fun, as well as informative. Most of our staff reported learning nearly as much as the kids!
Arts Program
A variety of art programs and initiatives are offered in rotation throughout the year. These initiatives are among the most popular with the children, and open a whole new world of art, music, and culture to students that — in many cases —rarely get the opportunity to leave their own neighbourhoods.