FAQ

While our After School Program is not open to Chandler students, we do host a variety of Professional Development and Vacation Camp opportunities, open to student in Grades 1 and 2.

If you would like to be added to our newsletter, which includes announcements of events and DSU camps, please email [email protected]. 

The DSU After School Program is offered Monday through Friday from 2pm to 5pm. Families can choose from 5, 4, 3, or 2 day enrollment. DSU will do its best to accommodate all choices but cannot guarantee availability of your preferred enrollment days.

After School Program students participate in a broad range of group activities such as outdoor games (volleyball, basketball, scavenger hunts and wacky relays), indoor games (charades, board games, bingo, limbo, game room) crafts and cooking projects. In addition to after school activities, students in our after school program enjoy up to the minute updates on special events, parties and dances targeted in their age group.

Students enjoy structured daily homework time, learning and reinforcement of executive function study skills, opportunity to participate in academic enrichment such as spelling games, jeopardy trivia and access to online teacher web sites, reference sites, Google Docs, Study Island and other teacher recommended resources.

Middle School students can participate in our CEO program. It is open to 6th, 7th & 8th graders and is offered exclusively as a 5-day program; Monday through Friday from 2:45pm to 5:00pm

The focus from 3:30 to 5pm daily is to complete homework with an emphasis on effective study skills, agenda management, time management and tracking long-term projects and assignments. We will start off the school year with activities focused on:

Study area expectations and workspace set up
Personal care, advocacy, awareness
At-home preparation for success
Effective classroom habits
Short-term and long-term planning
General organization and study skills
Beneficial use of technology

6th Grade CEO

First and foremost, students appreciate DSU’s Academic Center for its Monday through Friday distraction free environment with computers and all the school supplies they need to execute the daily homework. During the first term, students learn Schoology, First Class email and track their progress on the School Portal. DSU staff role play strategies for the student to learn to advocate for themselves and build lasting relationships with their teachers. Strategies are reinforced throughout the year to feel in control and develop ongoing homework and study habits.
7th Grade CEO

By the 7th grade, our CEOs are ready to take on more in their schedules. They can appreciate the value of using their after school time purposefully and they may visit CEO only 3-5 times per week. They enjoy the camaraderie of friends but also want their evenings free to pursue their activities or enjoy time to relax. They are developing as independent learners but still appreciate the structure, distraction free environment and regular check ins with staff.
8th Grade CEO

By the 8th grade, our CEO’s have a system that works and the daily coaching requires more of a check in. Audits of agendas/schoology/teacher pages and portal are still implemented but students are generally far more connected to their grades and strive to do well. For an 8th grader who has never done CEO, it’s not too late to implement executive function strategies to build a strong homework and study habits.

Yes. Your child will have lots of new friends and maybe even some old friends. Your child will always be with peers of the same grade. 

Our staff is comprised of seasoned youth development professionals. They are Arts, Education, and English/Communications graduates with experience in the classroom, at DSU and as tutors in the home school environment.