Donovan Elementary School has received funding to start a program it hopes will level the playing field for area children who do not get enough support outside of the classroom.

The after-school program will focus on helping elementary school students who aren’t getting the support they need to succeed academically outside the classroom, which could include students in single-parent households where the parent doesn’t have time or ability to help them with school, said Nancy Dyer, counselor at Donovan Elementary school who is developing the program.

“We do an awful lot for our low achieving kids and the kids who are not scoring well on report cards and standardized tests,” Dyer said. “But we wanted this to be more. We wanted to support the kids who don’t have as much support at home for whatever reason … those students that just aren’t getting that extra support outside of school.”

It will be funded by one of 12 mini-grants awarded by the Mental Health Recovery Services of Warren and Clinton Counties (MHRS) this year, as part of an effort to promote innovative mental health and substance abuse prevention programs in the area.

The program will include problem-solving exercises and interactions with teachers and student volunteers who will help the students with their homework. It 15 minutes of exercise, nutritious snacks, as part of a holistic approach to the students, Dyer said.

“We’re trying to teach them it’s the whole body, the head, the heart and the skill levels too,” Dyer said. “We have such a chance of making such a significant difference in their lives, when they’re older it’s kind of tough to turn around bad habits, but at this age we feel like we really can.”

The program will total 20 75-minute after-school sessions which will run Jan. 15-March 31. Students involved will be in grades 2 through 4 and will be selected by their teachers, Dyer said.

“It’s not tutoring, but we want to take that stress off of the kids who aren’t getting their homework done and are getting consequences from their teachers, and their parents that are fighting with kids over the homework,” Dyer said. “We’ll give everyone a break in the evenings and hopefully teach those kids great habits.”