Bella Vista Elementary School

The Expanded Learning @ Bella Vista Elementary School is an after-school learning program dedicated to providing a diverse learning experience for youth. We pride ourselves on providing our students a diverse menu of learning activities, including academic support, enrichment education, community building and college-going culture activities.

Academic Support

Academic Mentors support their advisory cohort with homework completion, learning strategies and test-taking strategies. Mentors review youth homework assignments and organize them in small groups of four tailored to each youth’s academic performance level to foster peer collaboration. Mentors log homework progress and completion daily, and review progress during their consultations with school-day teachers. Youth participate in a Literacy Club to build and reinforce their core academic skills. Academic Mentors guide youth through the process of reading relevant, culturally diverse, socially and emotionally rich literature.

Community Leadership Circles

Academic Mentors implement Building Intentional Communities curriculum to provide a safe, supportive space for youth to express themselves and build connections to support their social and emotional growth. Youth gain leadership skills to co-design and co-facilitate a group activity for their peers with support from their Academic Mentors.

Enrichment Electives

Youth participate in a semester rotation of enrichment workshops that includes: team sports (soccer/ flag football), arts and media (arts & crafts/yearbook/architectural design), cooking (multi-ethnic and cultural) and science (physics/environmental). The workshops incorporate character and community building with the underlying themes of leadership, empathy, cultural sensitivity and social responsibility.

Students must be enrolled at Bella Vista Elementary to attend EBAYC’s after-school program. Contact Program Director Angelia Thomas for more information on enrollment and tuition. Discounted tuition fees are available for families with economic hardship.