Before & After School Contacts
For questions about our After the Bell (before & after-school) programs in Norwalk’s elementary schools, please contact our Director of Elementary School-Based Programs, Tricia Massucco, at (203) 838-4305; ext 115; tricia@carvercenterct.org.
For questions about middle and high school after-school programs operating in schools, please contact our Manager of School-Based Programs, Mary Martini, at (203) 838-4305; ext 118; mary@carvercenterct.org.
For questions about Jr. YDP at the Carver Community Center and the Carver After School Program for Education and Recreation (CASPER), please contact Waid Ramsubhag - Program Manager, (203) 838-4305, ext 120; waid@carvercenterct.org
Our Programs
Carver’s before- and after-school programs operate in every Norwalk public elementary, middle, and high school, as well as Side by Side Charter School, the Carver Community Center, and the Classical Studies Magnet Academy in Bridgeport.
Our programs are designed in close partnership with schools, families, and community organizations to improve academic achievement, social-emotional well-being, engagement, and school attendance. We also help students build confidence, strengthen peer and adult relationships, and develop healthy life habits.
What Makes Carver Unique
Aligned with the School Day: Programs take place in each student’s own school, led by their daytime certified teachers, ensuring consistency and quality.
Comprehensive Enrichment: Recreational, cultural, and wellness activities complement academics, building the whole child.
Family Engagement: Parents and guardians are active partners in the learning journey.
Continuous Evaluation: Programs are guided by data, ensuring each student’s needs are met.
Accessibility: Carver removes barriers like transportation and cost, making participation possible for all students.
Each school gives its Carver program its own identity and name—building school spirit and pride. Many students remain in Carver programs throughout their K–12 years, experiencing consistent support at every stage of learning.
Learning Through Innovation
Carver’s programs are infused with Project-Based Learning (PBL), especially in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math).
We partner with organizations like the Maritime Aquarium and Mad Science, and professional volunteers—from local educators to IBM robotics experts—bring specialized learning opportunities into our classrooms.
Carver also maintains a 10:1 student-to-staff ratio, ensuring personalized attention. Each school-based program is led by a certified teacher (Lead Program Coordinator), with additional certified teachers providing homework support and enrichment.
A Research-Based Approach
Carver uses the Scientific Research-Based Interventions (SRBI) three-tier framework to meet students at their individual levels of need. Programming is built around six core principles:
High expectations leading to on-time high school graduation and college readiness.
Academic rigor through project-based and individualized learning.
Healthy relationships between students, peers, and adults.
Student voice and responsibility in shaping their experience.
Community-building through cooperative decision-making.
Youth development that honors individual strengths, needs, and learning styles.
Three Carver students attended the 2019 Jeter’s Leaders Leadership Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, accompanied by Carver CEO, Novelette Peterkin. The Carver students invited to attend were rising 9th graders Chloe Mattus and Sandra Andronic (recent Ponus Ridge Middle School graduates) and Alfredo Yepez (a Nathan Hale Hale Middle School graduate). We are grateful to the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund and the Per and Astrid Heidenreich Family Foundation for making it possible for our students to be invited and to attend.