These camps provide four weeks of enrichment activities and mentoring by carefully selected college interns and dedicated volunteers. Every activity is conducted in a safe and supportive environment.

Through very intentional and careful programming the children:

• Are provided breakfast, snacks and lunch, including fresh fruit and vegetables

• Are given a weekend backpack with food for six meals and a new book each Friday of camp

• Have daily reading mentoring with an adult volunteer

• Have a writers workshop every day to help them tell their own stories through writing and art

• Work with staff from the Roanoke Children’s Theatre every week to improve communication skills through song, dance, and drama

• Participate in interactive enrichment activities every afternoon that encourage:

        1. Understanding nature and how everything is interconnected

        2. Understanding other cultures and how children in other parts of the world live

        3. Peaceful living and nonviolent conflict resolution

        4. Healthy living through good nutrition, physical activity and valuing self

        5. Understanding their role in family, community and the world

        6. Building community by working together

• Take part in arts and crafts designed to support the Good Neighbors curricular themes

• Have daily recreation and games

NOTE… there is no cost to families – it is free!

It is difficult to measure the overall impact of the program on children. We do see positive behavior changes in many of the children during the four weeks. We do see the bonding that occurs between the children and the college interns and know that the interns are very positive role-models for the children. And, we have early data that shows that the reading mentoring makes a difference. Data provided by the schools on reading levels demonstrates that almost 90% of the Good Neighbors children either maintain or improve their reading level over the summer. This is significant because national data show that children who do not take part in summer enrichment programs lose two to six months from their reading levels and schools must remedy this loss when classes resume in the Fall. 

 FOR NEWS & PICTURES OF SML GOOD NEIGHBORS ENRICHMENT CAMPS

www.russbaskettblog.blogspot.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/smlgoodneighbors

http://www.youtube.com/user/SMLGoodNeighbors

 WHO IS ELIGIBLE? 

• Children who will be entering grades 1 - 6 at the beginning of the next school year. NOTE:5th & 6th graders must have been in camp in previous years.
• Priority is given to children who are from families with limited resources.
• Priority is also given to children who have a parent deployed in the military.
• Children from Moneta, Body Camp and Huddleston Elementary Schools in Bedford County and  Burnt Chimney, Dudley and Windy Gap Elementary Schools in Franklin County are given priority.

• The Bedford County Camp will be held at Moneta Elementary School.
• The Franklin County Camp will be held at Burnt Chimney Elementary School.

• Families have the primary responsibility for transportation.
• Good Neighbors assists with the cost of transportation by providing gas cards.
• Good Neighbors has a transportation coordinator who will assist with coordinating transportation needs.
• As resources permit, Good Neighbors will provide limited transportation for families who cannot get their children to camp.

• We will schedule days when families can join us for breakfast and learn more about the experiences their children are having.
• We will have one evening meal and program during the first week of camp for children and their families. This is a time to meet the interns and some of the volunteers and to learn more about the program.
• Family members can work as volunteers.  Contact our volunteer director, Sandy Kelso at: skelso@gmu.edu  Background checks are required to work with the children.

Every Morning: 

• Breakfast and time with interns (8:00-9:00)
• Interns have songs and settling time with the children (9:00-9:30)
• Writers Workshop - children work in small groups, telling and writing their stories, guided by their interns (9:30 - 10:00)
• Between 10:00 and 12 noon, every child has:    

                   1. 30 minutes with their Reading Buddy

                   2. 30 minutes of arts & crafts (daily theme)

                   3. 30 minutes of planned games/recreation (daily themes)

                   4. 30 minutes FAB (Flexible Activity Block).  These activities are planned to include a new activity or enlarge on an activity begun earlier.  Generally, this time is keyed to suppport support the daily theme.

• At 12 noon lunch is served     

Every Afternoon:

• Supervised play time (12:30 - 1:00)
• Afternoon Enrichment (1:00 - 2:15)            
• Story Time with the interns (2:15 - 2:45) - Interns select stories to read to the children in their small groups.  Topics generally support the weekly themes.  Children are engaged in discussions about the story.  This also serves to end the day with a quieter activity.
• (2:45 - 3:00)  Snacks and closing time with friends, interns and volunteers 

QUESTIONS ...

Contact Russell Baskett, Program Director

 rbaskett@jetbroadband.com   or   (540) 798-2332