After School Program
Lawrence Family Development Charter School’s after-school program provides a safe and engaging environment for our students between the last school bell at 3:00 p.m. and the end of the workday for most parents at 6:00 p.m. Students attending this program build on what they have learned during the regular school day, explore skills and interests, and develop relationships with caring adults. All of these factors relate to their future success as high school and college students, and help them to become productive and responsible adults.

Our program includes homework assistance, MCAS preparation, science clubs, computer labs, art, scouting, Project Adventure, enrichment opportunities and community service. In partnership with Phillips Academy, students participate in music lessons and study either a string instrument or piano. LFDCS students practice one-on-one with student members of the Academy’s Chamber Orchestra.

Statistics show that most juvenile crime is committed between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., with the largest number of offenses committed in the hours immediately following release from school. Studies have shown that after-school programs help prevent juvenile crime including unacceptable behaviors such as the use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco. Students who are supervised and engaged in learning and fun activities are less likely to participate in criminal and other high-risk behaviors. They usually obtain enhanced academic achievement and are more likely to earn better grades in school.

Summer School Program
Our Summer Institute is an education program designed to address the multiple barriers to educational success experienced by many of the students enrolled at Lawrence Family Development Charter School. The program runs five days a week for six weeks beginning in July and has three major components.

The primary work of Summer Institute takes place during a morning session in an intensive academic program focused on English Language Arts, Reading, and Mathematics that is intended to bolster and remediate low achievement in these core academic subjects. All educational activities are designed to meet the individual needs of the students based on previous school year evaluations. A high level of small group and one-on-one attention is provided to ensure every student makes adequate progress. Students entering the eighth grade in September participate in an intensive program to prepare them for the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT).

The afternoon session offers enrichment and recreational activities to expand the vision and horizons of our students while providing a balance to the intensive morning classes. It includes lessons in swimming, karate, art, cooking and nutrition, dance, theater, leadership and teamwork, crafts, woodworking, and sports. Students are also given the opportunity to participate in weekly field trips to area museums and historical sites.

The final component works with under-prepared five year olds who will be entering kindergarten in September. The goals of this component include improving the literacy foundation skills of the children and orienting them to the school’s socialization and discipline expectations.