Licensed by the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC)

Now enrolling for the 2010-11 school year!
The first day of the Kindergarten Afterschool Program will be Monday, September 13th, 2010.

Fall Open House:
Please join us for our Kindergarten Afterschool Open House on Friday, September 10th from 3:30-5:30pm at 20 Sacramento Street. Come meet the afterschool staff, tour the space and hear about this fall’s specialist offerings. Registration forms will be available, and enrollment is on a first come, first served basis.

Check out our new back yard
Our new play space is finished and includes an the Maud Morgan Arts Center, sandbox with water component, playhouse, children’s garden, basketball and bocce court. Click here to download the plans.

Maud Morgan Arts Classes
New this year, each child enrolled in the afterschool will be able to chose one class from the Maud Morgan Arts Center per year. Kindergarten – 2nd grade classes will take place on Mondays and Fridays. We are just rolling this out, so please check back for more information or call 617-349-6287 x11. For the full fall class schedule, please click here.

Our Program
Agassiz Baldwin Kindergarten Afterschool Program offers a unique, arts-based curriculum designed specifically for kindergarten students. The kindergarten program serves no more than forty children per day, which allows for an intimate and safe environment. We welcome children from every school in Cambridge and Somerville as well as all other local communities.

Our Space
The program is located on the first floor of Agassiz Baldwin Community’s (ABC) large Victorian house, which consists of three classrooms and an enormous tree-shaded backyard. Cambridge Public School (CPS) students in our program arrive from their schools via buses and are met at the Maria L. Baldwin School entrance by an afterschool staff member. The students are then brought to the kindergarten program, which is located four houses down at 20 Sacramento Street.

Choice-based Activities
The afternoon begins with a healthy snack and a meeting where the afternoon activities are discussed. Children are offered two activity choices per day in addition to outside play and quiet rest time. The teaching staff develop choices informed by the children’s interests as well as activities based on monthly and project-based curriculum themes. In addition, we devote time to whole-group activities: storytime, show and tell, skits, and group discussions. Special workshops and projects are planned throughout the year. The activities are well organized, and we maintain a 1:13 teacher to student ratio on-site and a 1:10 ratio off-site on field trips.

Our Staff
Agassiz Baldwin Kindergarten Afterschool staff is led by our Early Education Site-Director, Emma Mrozicki. Our teaching staff offers a diverse range of interests and talents, including gardening, multicultural cooking, music, fine arts, and sports. We welcome family involvement and make daily communication between staff and families a priority. All staff are certified in first aid and CPR and exceed the qualifications of an EEC verified teacher.

Schedule:
Baldwin arrival/CPS bus drop-off: 2:00 pm-3:30 pm
Pick-up: 5:30 pm
CPS early release days: 12:00 pm-5:30 pm

Agassiz Baldwin Afterschool follows the Cambridge Public School calendar. We are also open for vacation programming over the December, February, and April vacation weeks. Vacation programming consists of daily themes, field trips, and visiting specialists.

Project Based Learning
Each season, Agassiz Baldwin Afterschool devises a long-term project planned and developed by teachers and students. The kindergarten students collaborate with the 1st-5th grade students on the creative process and assist with or perform in the final event.

To help extend the learning, these long-term projects include neighborhood trips and special guests with knowledge of the subject. Projects culminate in an event that invites participation from families and friends to create an authentic community experience. Past projects have included a student-run restaurant called “The Flying Zucchini Café,” a drama performance, and a student-curated art show. During the “The Flying Zucchini Café” project students take on the roles of chefs, waitstaff, interior designers, and hosts to create an authentic restaurant environment.  Children may choose to take a minor or substantial role in each project.

Specialists
Our program has many features that make us unique as an afterschool. In addition to a variety of daily choices, students can explore specific subjects and art forms on a deeper level. The following are just some of the offerings throughout the school year:

2010-11 Specialists
Modays: Taekwondo (K-2 grade class)
Tuesdays: Dance with Sunny Hitt (now included in the tuition)
Thursdays: Drama Club
Fridays: Taekwondo (K-2 class and 3-5th class)

Piano or Cello Lessons (Mondays – Wednesdays)
Individual cello or piano lessons with Sarvi Moshfegh are available for an additional cost of $33 per lesson (The cost for the 12 week fall semester will be $396). Scholarships are available. Lessons take place in the Maria L. Baldwin school music room and students are walked between the Kindergarten Afterschool and the music room.

Maud Morgan Arts
As part of our Introducing Art Performance Series, Agassiz Baldwin Afterschool hosts a professional performance during each CPS early release day. These programs are presented under the umbrella of Maud Morgan Arts Programming.

The Introducing Arts 2010-11 Schedule:
October 20, 2010: Kinobe
November 18, 2010: Leland Faulker’s World of Wonder
February 24th, 2011: Our 15th Annual ABC Hip Hop Festival
March 8, 2011: Pan Loco Steel Drums

Program Cost
Monthly Tuition Fees
$474        5 Days per week (all vacation weeks included in tuition)
$268       3 Days per week
$196        2 Days per week
$100        1 Day per week

The fee for vacation week for part-time families is $180.

Scholarship assistance is available and vouchers are accepted.  Call (617) 349-6287 x11 for more information.

Register Now
Our program is a safe, fun, and enriching environment for kindergarten students to spend their afternoons!

Contact the Kindergarten Afterschool Program
Questions?  Contact Emma Mrozicki, Early Education Site-Director, at (617) 349-6287 x14 or emrozicki@agassiz.org.

Downloads:

Agassiz Baldwin Afterschool Registration Form 2010-11
AS Fact Sheet 2010-11
Agassiz AS Parent Handbook 2010-11
Taekwondo Sign Up Fall 2010
Agassiz Piano Signup Fall 2010
Agassiz Baldwin Community Calendar 2010-2011