The Learning Lamp to Expand Before/After School Program to Forest Hills

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Johnstown, PA (May 12, 2014) – Balancing the demands of home and work can be challenging for working families. The U.S. Labor Department reports more than 28 million children have parents who work outside the home, and over half—15 million—are on their own when the school day is done. Among them, more than 1 million in grades K‐5, according to the Afterschool Alliance. For children attending 10 public and private elementary schools in Cambria and Somerset Counties, The Learning Lamp offers an expanded network of before and after school programs.

New for the 2014-2015 school year is a before and after school program for children in the Forest Hills School District. Registration for the program is underway. For the convenience of working families, morning drop-off can be scheduled as early as 6 a.m. After school care begins at the end of the school day, with pick-up no later than 6 p.m. Children in grades K4 to 6 are eligible to attend. Tuition is $4 per hour with subsidized care available for families who qualify.

“The Forest Hills Elementary School before and after school program can be used as a main source of care by families, or as back-up child care. Families pay only for the hours they use. Another great benefit of this program is that it includes a full hour of homework help daily. That’s a huge help for families,” said Cortney Skelly, Director of Before and After School Programs for The Learning Lamp.

The Forest Hills site joins a list of existing programs serving children from Richland, Jackson and Cambria Elementary Schools, Cambria Heights Elementary, Westmont Hilltop, Ferndale Area, Windber, North Star and Somerset Area school districts and Saint Benedict School in Geistown. Children attending The Learning Lamp’s before and after school programs receive a full hour of homework help supervised by certified teachers. In many cases, that’s enough time for a child to complete homework, so it’s not a burden on families in the evening.

Physical activities, a healthy snack, arts and crafts and free play are also a part of the daily schedule. The new Forest Hills site is open to grades K4-6 and will operate at Forest Hills Elementary School in Sidman. Over the summer, students can attend The Learning Lamp’s school-age summer camp program, which offers 11 weeks of theme based summer camps for students entering grades 1 through 5. The program takes place at the Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center in Richland.

The Learning Lamp’s before and after school programs are tailored to the specific needs of the communities they serve. All programs are licensed through the Department of Public Welfare. Child care subsidy is available for families who qualify. For more information or to register your child for before and after school care, call Cortney Skelly at (814) 262-0732.

The Learning Lamp is a nonprofit organization with a mission to engage all children in the support they need to succeed. We deliver high quality programs that are affordable and accessible to families of all income levels. The Learning Lamp served 18,468 children from 70 school districts and 36 non-public and private schools and other organizations in 32 Pennsylvania counties in 2013.

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