Here at YELLS, we have always been proud of the various innovative ways that we serve the students in our programs. From our teen-led Community Action Café to the different community projects conceived by the Bigs and Littles in our Mentoring Program, our goal is to instill in our kids the values and confidence for them to assume their own personal and academic growth. With this in mind, we are excited to announce a new initiative recently implemented in our Afterschool Program (ASP): YELLS Scholar Dollars!
The Scholar Dollars program incentivizes our ASP youth to improve their academic enrichment by rewarding their extra effort with YELLS-branded “scholar dollars” that they can use to purchase a host of prizes and special experiences every week, including fidget spinners, bean bag privileges, and even spending an afternoon as a guest in the Community Action Café.
“The hope in the program is that students are maximizing the academic rotation, whether that is reading more, whether that is completing their homework assignments, or completing additional enrichment activities provided by our scholar success specialist,” said Sherri Burrell, our ASP coordinator and lead teacher.
This is our Scholar Dollars cart; the one-stop shop for all Scholar Dollar transactions and rewards! Here our ASP kids can use their hard-earned dollars to buy toys, extra snacks, iPad time, and even fun experiences like beanbag privileges and Café time!
In the few weeks that the Scholar Dollars program has been put into place, Ms. Sherri has already noticed tangible improvements in our students’ academic enrichment! She said that more students are completing their homework assignments during the academic block, clocking in more minutes of reading than before, and they’re also reading better. Furthermore, she said students are feeling proud about completing their assignments and earning Scholar Dollars!
“So far (the kids) have really enjoyed it! I feel that they see it as a way for them to earn the things that they want to earn, but know the importance of getting the academics completed,” Ms. Sherri said. “I think all of them also really just enjoy being able to earn something for the work that they’ve done, and have other people celebrate that they’re working hard and doing the things that they need to get done.”
The Scholar Dollars extend beyond just academic enrichment as well. This initiative gives our ASP kids the opportunity to practice money management skills, and we have seen firsthand how they are learning the benefits to saving their money for more expensive prizes or experiences down the line. Our kids are deciding for themselves whether to treat themselves in the moment or to hold onto their money for something bigger and better.
“That’s why candy is a dollar. Because even if you just get your homework done, you at least can reward yourself with something later down the line,” said Ms. Sherri. “Or you can say, ‘No, I want something big, I’m gonna do everything every single day.’ Well, that shows some perseverance and that shows determination, that shows that you see a goal and you’re willing to do everything you have to do in order to reach that goal.”
As the Scholar Dollar program grows, we are always thinking about different ways to incorporate it into our programming. Our K-1st graders can now earn scholar dollars by practicing good behaviors and habits, further incentivizing them to be aware of their own behaviors from a young age and encouraging healthy social and emotional skills. So far, the Scholar Dollars program has been hugely popular among YELLS students, and we are very excited to see how the initiative will be reflected in our students’ grades at the end of the year!
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