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The after-school program housed at Bear Creek Elementary School in Bend started last year. Proponents say it is a safe, nurturing environment where neurodivergent kids focus on social-emotional learning and receive academic support. Given the rise in disrupted learning and learning loss in the past few years, programs like this are necessary, participants say.

Sara Culp said her son Connor, 9, who attended the program last year, has improved academically and gained confidence since attending.

“He was instantly comfortable there; there was not really an adjustment period,� said Culp. “It was clearly just all the support he needed for structure and social-emotional skill building...(it) felt like a really intimate, supportive setting for him.�

BEAM stands for the learning supports the program provides: Behavioral intervention, Empathetic environment, Academic support and Meaningful community.

Small and focused after-school program

Karen Bures, who co-founded the program, used to run a behavior program through the High Desert Education Service District.

“All of those same kids that have higher support needs also don’t have a lot of access to traditional after-school care, because their behaviors require a higher level of support,� she said. “We started this nonprofit program to provide extended learning opportunities for those kids.�

Bures described her program as an extended program for the school day for kids with disabilities or trauma who don’t have access to other programs. Many kids are behind academically due to their behaviors, so academic support is a large part of it.

The program serves around 20 kids in kindergarten through fifth grade and is located in the modular classrooms behind Bear Creek Elementary. As a result, many of the kids attended Bear Creek last year. The district is not able to provide transportation from other schools, so, if necessary, parents provide it.

“It’s been tricky to think about placement in other locations, because the Kids Inc. is kind of at every school, so there’s limited availability as far as expansion goes,� Bures said. “The schools and the families have really voiced that they are seeing behavioral progress in the students.�

Some students have faced a lot of challenges during their time in school, which can lead to a lot of shame, she said. Her program leads kids to feel a sense of community that they haven’t had before.

Thanks to a grant, the program was free to attend last year. Bures has applied for grants for this school year, but in the meantime it is fee-based.

“We had our first summer camp this last summer, and we only did one week, just because we were brand new last year,� said Bures. “This coming summer we’ll probably have two to three different weeklong camps.�

Bures is also contemplating a camp over winter break.

Emotional skill building

The academic support and learning BEAM provides is play- and activity-based and is engaging and as hands-on as possible.

Kids who need help with social-emotional learning have feelings they don’t know how to handle, leading to arguments or explosive behaviors. The BEAM program focuses on teaching kids how to identify what they’re feeling and how to take care of those feelings, along with conflict resolution and self-advocacy.

“(We’re) trying to build up all of those skills so they can go into, whether it’s their school environment or eventually a traditional after-school (program), where they have some skills to be able to handle stressful situations that arise in a little bit more productive way,� Bures said.

Marc Zollinger, Bear Creek’s principal, is looking forward to having the program back for a second year. He appreciates that the program is able to give additional support to kids who need it. School staff have seen a difference in kids who now want come to class because they know they will attend the BEAM program at the end of the day.

“I think the families also feel really supported and really appreciate the opportunity,� he said. “A lot of these students might be students that might want to push boundaries in certain ways and it’s so fun to watch the work that they do with these kids and really honor who the student is.�

Confidence and academics

Culp said she tried more traditional after-school programs for her son in years past, but the environments didn’t work well.

“When we heard that this program was starting last year, it was like ‘Absolutely, that is amazing, something for kids like him,’� she said. “As soon as they started, we were waiting at the door.�

Her son learned social-emotional lessons and gained confidence in making friends as well as academics. The program provided consistency throughout the school year on writing and reading skills.

“He was devastated when summer started, and he’s so excited to start again,� Culp said.