Discovery Club is Saint Paul Public Schools year-round, fee based school age child care for children enrolled in Pre-K through 5th grade. Program sites open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 6:00 p.m.

Why choose Discovery Club?
Our program is intentionally planned to meet the needs of the child as a whole. Fun enrichment activities are offered and children enjoy a wide variety of literacy, art, music, drama, and science activities, organized games/sports, service learning projects, and field trips. These activities and others, engage children in new learning experiences and give children hands-on opportunities to practice the academic skills they learn during the school day.

• Regular homework and independent reading time 

  Staff are available to assist children with homework.  Sites have comfortable reading corners and libraries stocked with high interest books that encourage independent reading. 


• Service learning projects 

  Children participate in service learning projects through out the year. Service projects promote teamwork, leadership, a sense of community, and empathy.
• Daily active play
  Active outdoor play is a regular part of the before and after school schedule. Children have various opportunities to participate in individual and group sports and games, such as soccer, basketball, golf, roller blading, skate boarding, ice skating, sledding, and swimming.  When the Minnesota weather demands indoor play, the school gym is offered for organized games, sports and  activity.
• Fostering friendships
  Children have the opportunity to socialize with their peers and friends. Parents have described Discovery Club as their child’s neighborhood. 
• Social Skills
  Learning and using social skills is a natural part of the Discovery Club day.  Children learn how to make and keep friends; they have the opportunity to learn and practice conflict resolution skills including empathy, problem solving and emotional regulation. 
• Behavior Guidance
  Discovery Club’s behavior guidance philosophy focuses on mutual respect and the involvement of children in problem solving and taking responsibility for their own feelings and behavior.

Discovery Club Objectives for Children:

1. Encourage social development by providing opportunities for sharing, taking turns, making friends, resolving conflicts, problem solving, helping others, recognition and acceptance by others, cooperative experiences, and building self-esteem.
2. Encourage emotional development through use of oral language to express thoughts and feelings, through experiencing rules and limits, kindness, justice and empathy, and recognizing and accepting emotions in others. 
3. Develop responsiblity for one’s own actions in self-help, health, safety, and interpersonal areas and to  exercise independence when appropriate.
4. Facilitate intellectual development by offering many kinds of materials and experiences that enrich and support the basic concepts and skills learned in school.  Homework time and/or quiet reading time is scheduled on a regular basis.
5. Encourage physical development of large motor skills through outdoor and indoor games and activities, as well as fine motor development through use of a wide variety of manipulative materials.
6. Encourage creative development by offering many kinds of materials and experiences in music, visual and dramatic arts, literature, and oral stories.

Discovery Club values children with disabilities as an integral part of our diverse community and strives to support their success in the program.  Our program will provide reasonable accommodations as needed to make physical and social inclusion successful.  The goal for all children is to have independent, meaningful participation in the program.