Stay After with Us
The Greater Wichita YMCA's Middle School After School program provides a safe, supervised environment where students can receive academic support, explore and develop new skills and interests, enjoy a nutritious snack, participate in structured, physical activities, and have fun with peers and positive role models. Students have FREE daily access to two hours of programming that follows best practices for the age group.
Middle School After School is a model program partnership between the Community Development branch of the Greater Wichita YMCA (funds and operates the program) and Wichita Public Schools (provides school sites and educators for staffing).
Participation Guidelines
To participate, all students must submit a registration and waiver form (available in several languages at area middle schools) completed by a parent or guardian.
Contact your middle school office for more information on enrollment.
Questions? Contact Senior Program Director Tyrone Baker by phone at 316.776.8172 or by email at tyrone.baker@ymcawichita.org
READY TO ENROLL?
Download and Print PDF Form (English)
Program Goals and Impacts
Since its start in 1992, there have been 135,000 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders participate in Middle School After School. Wichita State University’s Public Policy and Management Center (PPMC) performed an independent evaluation of the impact of Middle School After School participation (versus non-participation) for the academic years between Fall 2015 and Spring 2018 and found benefits - empirical and perceived.
Known Impacts
- 40 percent of students, on average, attending participating schools took part in the program.
- Absenteeism was 40 percent lower among participating students.
- Disciplinary incidents were 54 percent less likely to involve participating students.
Reported Impacts
- Participants were 78 percent more-likely to share feeling "encouraged to learn new skills."
- 84 percent of participants believed Middle School After School leaders "cared about their academic progress."
- 86 percent of participants and 92 percent of their parents said Middle School After School improved grades.
- Students (63 percent) and parents (84 percent) said Middle School After School participation increased physical activity.