Active Children Portland offers programming aligned with our three core pillars: Education, Health, and Community.
Programming is tailored to three primary age groups at school sites: K-3, 4-5, and 6-8. Typically programming takes place immediately after school from eight to ten weeks at a time, two to four days a week.
Every day during programming, youth participate in at least 60 minutes of physical movement and 30 to 60 minutes of academic enrichment. Woven into these activities are social-emotional check-ins and age-appropriate nutrition and wellness education.
Sites have their choice of different physical movement and academic enrichment options that can be mixed and matched to best meet the needs and interests of each school community and group of kids.
Below are some of our current program options available to sites. We are always looking for new opportunities to expand our curriculum and programming by partnering with other local organizations! Feel free to reach out to our staff at info@acportland.org to find out more about our work behind the scenes.
ACP After School Programming:
Sports
Active Children Portland forms soccer and basketball teams during after-school hours at 17 program sites and provides children with a jersey, a ball, and a chance to play on their after-school team. We create a sense of belonging and provide the opportunity for children to be physically active 4 days a week, for 30 weeks a year. In Active Children Portland’s programs, 81% of participants improved or maintained their BMI percentile last year. While 79% of participants improved or maintained their aerobic capacity.
Nutrition Education
Trained coaches deliver educational activities where children are taught the basics of nutrition, the importance of making healthy lifestyle choices, and the importance of maintaining healthy eating habits. Each program day students discuss nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices over a meal or snack, participate in soccer or basketball activities, and apply their knowledge by making their own healthy snacks!
Creative Writing
Active Children Portland provides students engaging activities that incorporate art, music, emotion, and drama to reinvigorate students’ interest in writing and teach them the basics of poetry, public speaking, and literary devices. By incorporating public performances, we are also helping to change the stigma many students feel about self-expression. The creative writing program takes place over the course of 10 weeks in Fall.
Service Learning
Active Children Portland’s Service Learning program takes place during the spring season and expands upon the teamwork and writing skills students learn in the fall. Students work together under the guidance of their coach to identify a need within their community and a service project that will address that need. Projects take place over ten weeks and teams are encouraged to seek out diversity, community partners, and strengthen their voices by taking on leadership roles.