Ideology of the Middle School After School Program

Mission

We believe that every youth deserves a safe, nurturing and enriching environment to spend those critical hours in between school dismissal and when parents return home from work.  That’s why Fairfax County and FCPS have partnered together to bring the Middle School Afterschool (MSAS) Program to every middle school at no out-of-pocket cost to parents.

The MSAS Program goal is to provide high-quality afterschool activities for middle school youth that encompass Academic Support and Enrichment, Social Skills and Youth Development, Physical and Mental Wellness,  and Family and Community involvement while fostering school and community connectedness and offering opportunities to explore career interests and hobbies.  Our Afterschool Programs strive to cultivate the FCPS pillars of the Portrait of a Graduate.

The pillars of the Portrait of a Graduate identify what skills and knowledge students will need to be prepared for the future and include:

Communicator, Collaborator, Ethical and Global Citizen, Creative and Critical Thinker, and Goal-Directed and Resilient Individual.  The inherent flexibility of the MSAS Program is an ideal environment for nourishing these lifelong skills.

Benefits

Middle School Afterschool keeps kids safe, engages and inspires them to learn, and helps working families.  There is a growing body of research that shows a strong, positive link between afterschool activities and closing the achievement gap, graduating from high school, going to college, and becoming a responsible citizen. 

Studies show that youth involved with quality Afterschool Programs have:

• Increased academic performance
• Increased classroom participation
• Improved homework completion rates
• Improved student behavior
• Better peer relations, emotional adjustment
• Improved student-adult relationships
• Improved school attendance
• Better attitudes towards school
• Reduced high risk behavior
• Reduced gang crime
• Increased participation in healthy recreational activities
• Increased school, family, and community partnerships

Common Threads and Unique Application

All 27 middle schools in FCPS share the vision and resources to bring quality afterschool programming to their communities.  Each school strives to sculpt a program that creates opportunities to cultivate the pillars of the Portrait of a Graduate, while addressing the unique needs and interests of their students and families. 

Visit your middle school's website for a look at their individual afterschool program.