Welcome to Afterschool Village
Welcome to Afterschool Village! We are a unique after-school program created to provide balance to the structured, adult-led format of traditional education and help children re-discover their own voice.
How Is the stress of modern society affecting our children?
Our children are in distress. The high pressure demands of living in modern society are disrupting families and hampering our children’s emotional growth. Preschoolers are spending 2-5 hours a day staring at screens. Elementary-age children are shuffled from school to structured activities with little or no time for free play. Teenagers report being more stressed by excessive academic pressure than any other issues, including bullying and dysfunctional family dynamics.
This hyper-focus on individual achievement takes a toll on our children. Their innate curiosity gets buried under a driving need to be “successful.” They’re tired, overworked, and emotionally disconnected. The burden is so heavy that 1.2 million students drop out of high school and 20-25% experience depression.
Is there a better way?
The natural world offers us a healthy alternative of what parenting could look like. Mammals, such as bears, stay by their offspring’s side until they are fully developed— providing a consistent nurturing presence. Bear cubs learn how to navigate the world around them by watching and mirroring their parents— 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The strong bond between parent and cub ensures that the cubs will grow into self-sustained, adult bears.
But what about our “cubs”? What can we do to make sure that they will leave home with the resilience and emotional maturity necessary to be fully functioning adults?
The truth is that bear parenting is the bare minimum. Human behavior is much more complex and requires a lot more time and emotional investment to imprint on our little ones. Time that many of us just don’t have.
How Can Afterschool Village Help?
Afteschool Village aims to fill in the gaps that many parents aren’t able to provide. We are a non-profit organization that is committed to nurturing, educating, and supporting children and families in achieving their full potential. Our community of educators and psychologists are excited to partner with you in giving your children the best possible start in the world.
Under the guidance of our knowledgeable staff, your children will learn to look within for answers, decreasing their reliance on authority figures and institutions for direction. This focus on inner integration and self-regulation will help counter the heavy demands of their activity-based schedules.
Within our strong community environment, your children will find the secure base that world- renowned psychologist John Bowlby deemed essential for giving them the means to develop appropriate responses to stress. Through mirroring and validation from skilled professionals, they will feel empowered to trust themselves, take healthy risks, and handle conflict peacefully.
We will also assist parents to build the skills necessary for a harmonious and healthy interaction with their children.
Why is AV a nonprofit organization?
Our first priority is to the needs of local families. Our non-profit status ensures that we are accountable to the parents, children and taxpayers of our community. All financial resources stay within our program so we can continue providing children and families with the best services possible. This means hiring the most qualified workers and paying them the competitive salaries that they deserve.
It also means that we have a high staff to child ratio so that your children get the attention they need to flourish!
What is the parents’ role in the AV community?
At Afterschool Village, parents are a vital component of the community. We are a child and family-centered program that understands that a child’s growth is inseparable from the larger family dynamics. We will provide you with the support you need to help your children regain balance, strengthen their sense of self, and increase their motivation and overall life skills.
Together, we will create a social, emotional, physical, aesthetic and cognitive environment that will allow your children not just to survive, but to thrive.