he Newark Public Schools Office of Extended School Day Programs gives the students a summer filled with fun and engaging activities. Ranging from daily recreational activities to personal development workshops, the Summer Youth Development Program (SYDP) provides a wide variety of activities for students and the community. Regularly scheduled trips include visits to museums, the theater, and professional ball games. Many participants will benefit from small group instructional sports clinics in golf, lacrosse, swimming, soccer, and tennis. The program aims to help participants build self-confidence and develop character through the visiting artists/consultants whose presentations incorporate strong anti-drug, anti-gang, and character education themes. Consultants also offer storytelling, personal motivation, art instruction, dance instruction, and martial arts.

The programs and services offered by the SYDP are enhanced and extended through collaborations with various organizations:

 

• Newark Division of Recreation and Cultural Affairs

• Babyland Family Friendly Centers

• UMDNJ/Rutgers Cooperative Extension

• Newark Public Schools Summer Enrichment Program

 

The SYDP is designed to capture and hold every participant’s interest by offering something for everyone. A typical day in the SYDP offers a choice of creating jewelry, artwork, cultural masks or other items to take home in the arts and crafts section; or a chance to flex the “brain muscles” through quiet games such as chess, checkers, etc.

 

Participants may choose to participate in jumping rope, basketball, kickball, or other playground activities. With the recently implemented Summer Muse for Aspiring Readers Time (SMART) Initiative, students can select a book from a variety of topics and recline in the shade of a reading canopy on beanbag chairs provided specifically for SMART. Every participant will get a jump start on academics for the upcoming school year by attending trips to the Marine Sciences Consortium, the Museum of Agriculture, Liberty Science Center and other centers that engage students’ interest in mathematics, science, and literature. They will get a chance to view nature up-close and personal when they visit a nature camp for a day of hiking and outdoor adventure.

 

This six week program (July and August) is open daily from 1:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Parents will have the assurance of knowing that their children are productively occupied during these hours under the supervision of responsible adults and that they will receive a nutritious lunch daily. Every site in the program is staffed with experienced, certified teachers, a community aide, a security guard, and a custodian. The program is free, as are trip transportation, admission fees, and daily snacks. As an added bonus, students, parents, and neighbors all come to the big celebration at the end of the program – the Summer Festival.

 

Registration begins in May and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration forms are available at your child’s school and the Office of Extended School Day Programs.