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BRIDGES 21st Century Community Learning Centers

Jump to: Locations | Eligibility | Program Details | Partners | Funding | Contact

BRIDGES is a grant-funded after-school program that is designed for students and families of students who attend Title I schools or that serve a high percentage of students from low-income families. BRIDGES offers academic enrichment activities to students who need additional support in Reading and/or Math.

Program Locations

BRIDGES programs are currently offered at 12 elementary and 2 middle schools.

2024-2025 BRIDGES Locations and Grades Served:

  • Bollman Bridge Elementary: 2nd-5th
  • Bryant Woods Elementary: 3rd-5th
  • Cradlerock Elementary: 3rd-5th
  • Deep Run Elementary: 2nd-5th
  • Ducketts Lane Elementary: 2nd-4th
  • Laurel Woods Elementary: 2nd-5th
  • Longfellow Elementary: 2nd-5th
  • Phelps Luck Elementary: 3rd-5th
  • Running Brook Elementary: 3rd-5th
  • Swansfield Elementary: 3rd-5th
  • Stevens Forest Elementary: 3rd-5th
  • Talbott Springs Elementary: 3rd-5th
  • Harpers Choice Middle: 6th-8th
  • Oakland Mills Middle: 6th-8th

Eligibility

Students in grades 2 to 8 are invited to participate in BRIDGES based on academic assessment data, such as the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP), Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), Being a Reader, CommonLit, and teacher recommendations.

Program Details

  • BRIDGES programs run for 25 weeks.
  • BRIDGES operates Monday through Thursday at all locations except Deep Run, which operates Monday through Friday.
  • A snack and supper are provided.
  • Transportation home is provided (for most program sites).
  • HCPSS staff lead academic instruction in Reading, Math and/or STEM classes each day using curriculum aligned to grade-level standards.
Activities include:

  • Book Club: focused on improving students’ reading comprehension skills.
  • Math Games: focused on increasing student engagement & enjoyment of math while building critical thinking and reasoning skills.
  • STEM: engage students in hands-on outdoor learning and engineering-focused activities.
  • A variety of enrichment activities, such as art, dance, yoga, sports, physical education, social emotional learning, Legos, coding, and leadership classes.

Program Partners

HCPSS works with a variety of community partners in the BRIDGES program. Such partners include:

  • Healthy Families GROW/Howard County Local Children’s Board: collaborate with HCPSS to provide programming to students in grades 2-5 and offers afterschool enrichment for students in grades K-1 during BRIDGES at Deep Run Elementary.
  • Boys and Girls Club of Metropolitan Baltimore: provides enrichment programs for BRIDGES students at Laurel Woods Elementary and Harper’s Choice Middle.
  • Brain Futures: Provides ACTIVATE online cognitive training program
  • Maryland Park Service: Provides nature-based workshops where students investigate and learn through hands-on activities
  • Howard County Library System (HCLS): Provides literacy workshops to build students love of reading and visits from the STEAM Machine and HCLS mobile library
  • Luby Strong Foundation: Donates physical education and sports equipment for use during enrichment activities.

    • Program Funding

    BRIDGES is funded by the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) grant program, which is administered by the Maryland State Department of Education.

    Contact

    Andrea Sykes, BRIDGES 21st Century CLC Program Manager, andrea_sykes@hcpss.org