Program Overview

In Madera County, the Club YES (Youth Education and Enrichment at School) after school program operates 28 programs at all Madera Unified K-8 Schools, at all Chowchilla Elementary K-8 schools, at North Fork in Chawanakee Joint School District and Oakhurst Elementary in Bass Lake Joint Union Elementary School District and at Raymond Knowles.  Club YES reflects the Madera County Office of Education’s (MCOE) philosophy that promotes the development of the “whole child.”  Children are provided meaningful learning opportunities that build vocabulary and facility with math facts and reading comprehension.  Educational activities are project based with students learning about science and geography while using mathematics to increase their understanding of the Ring of Fire, the Iditarod races in Alaska or the Seven Wonders of the World, for instance.  Students also learn about nutrition by cooking healthy foods and participating in fun and physically engaging activities.  Learning in this way, allows students to:

• Converse with one another, thereby increasing the English language vocabulary of many of our students.
• Research high interest topics, thus increasing reading comprehension skills.
• Connect academic learning to real world situations, creating the link between school and lifelong learning.

But that’s not all!  The focus on Character Education allows students to grapple with student relationships, develop personal responsibility and contribute to their community through service learning activities – particularly in middle school programs.  Each day starts with a snack and time for students to work on homework in a quiet setting, with a Club YES staff member ensuring that students can address this responsibility before the fun starts.

The Club YES programs begin at school release and go until 6 p.m. each school day. Club YES is actually an educational enrichment program which is very different from a child care, “drop off” program.  For this reason, there is an expectation that students will attend daily so that they can participate in the variety of learning activities.  Inconsistent attendance does not allow for the academic growth that Club YES provides on a daily basis; just as irregular attendance at school compromises student learning. Staff are fingerprinted for safety and participate in training throughout the year to ensure a quality program responsive to the needs of our students.

Nutrition education and phisical activity is one of the cornerstones of the Club YES program. Parkwood Club YES, one of our 28 after school program sites, is one of 17 Healthy Behaviors Initiative Learning Centers in the state of California that seeks to improve children's health through after school programs.  Please contact Lorie Werner, After School Coordinator at (559) 662-3836, if you would like to visit and learn how our Healthy Behaviors Learning Centers are successfully addressing the obesity crisis and the resulting health problems facing students in low income communities throughout California. The Learning Centers challenge all after school programs to help students develop healthy eating and physical activity habits.  Learn more at: www.afterschoolsolutions.org.

Contact Lorie Werner, After School Coordinator with MCOE at (559) 662-3836, to find out how your children can participate in Club YES.

Bass Lake Joint Union Elementary School District

Oakhurst Elementary