Teens to Mentor Norton Students at Yellow House

It’s a question faced by many working parents of older elementary school children: What to do with kids who feel they are too old for daycare programs, yet not quite mature enough to spend long afternoons at home unsupervised?

A free pilot program being launched by Cheshire Youth Services and Norton School seeks to give parents one more option, at least for a few days out of the week, while helping high school students gain experience working with children.

Starting in April, a group of trained high school students will mentor between 20 and 25 Norton fifth- and sixth-graders on Monday and Wednesday afternoons at the Yellow House on South Main Street.

Lauren Blackwell, youth program supervisor for the department, said the program will include indoor and outdoor team-building activities and a “homework help hour” where the students will work on organizational skills, time management and academics.

“We really would just like to have a great space where parents can have a little bit of peace of mind knowing that their kids are supervised and being active with other kids their age,” said Blackwell.

 The program’s goals are to develop leadership and problem-solving skills, enhance self-esteem and encourage physical activity, Blackwell said.

 If the pilot is successful, Blackwell said she hopes it can be expanded to include all four of the town’s elementary schools

The 10-week program runs from 3 to 6 p.m. and includes a snack and transportation from Norton School. Blackwell said the structured afterschool program is a better alternative than “staying home in front of a computer or watching TV for hours.”

 She said the department is trying to fill a void in its programming by targeting older elementary students. She said the department had programs in place for middle- and high-school students, a literacy program for first-graders and a math program for third-graders, but nothing serving the upper elementary grades.

Blackwell, who is still recruiting high school mentors, said she hopes to assign at least one mentor to every two children. There will also be adult staff members supervising.

She said the program is a great volunteer opportunity for high school students who are interested in teaching or working with children. Teens who participate can earn community service hours toward their high school graduation requirements. The mentors do not need to be honor students, but do need to be fun, creative and energetic, Blackwell said.

Betsy Stewart, a fifth-grade teacher at Norton who will serve as one of the program’s coordinators, said the elementary kids will benefit from the teenagers' leadership. “I know how much the students look up to their older siblings, and to have role models at the Yellow House is priceless,” she said.

The program runs from April 4 through June 20. The deadline to register a child or to apply to be a high school mentor is March 28.

 For more information, contact Cheshire Youth Services at (203) 271-6690 or by e-mail at lblackwell@cheshirect.org.