The Chess Club of Fairfield County visited with our Lead Program Coordinator Lauren Leal, a 5th Grade Teacher, and her Carver after-school students at Brookside Elementary School yesterday.
As you can see in the video below, the Chess Club of Fairfield County has been working with Carver kids for many years.
Learning chess, like learning to play an instrument, is a complex endeavor that rewards diligence. The more time our students are able to invest in it, and the more angles they approach it from, the more they will improve.
In addition to one-on-one lessons, our students can sometimes play in competitive events where they and their opponents take the game seriously and are trying their utmost. Learning how to think in this context, and analyzing their moves rigorously subsequent to making this level of effort, are crucial to success.
This full-service chess club is the only such club in Connecticut, and one of only a small handful in the nation. Educational services include private instruction, group instruction, school classes, and chess camps. Recreational services include casual play, USCF-rated tournaments, and team matches. The common element of all of their services is an uncompromising dedication to elevating chess.
Thanks to the Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative, Carver is able to offer these programs to our elementary school students. The 21st CCLC initiative is the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to supporting local afterschool, before-school, and summer learning programs. The program serves nearly 2 million youth, nationwide through grants awarded by state education agencies. This funding awarded to Carver by the Connecticut State Department of Education through a very competitive grant process provides for academic enrichment activities that help students meet state and local achievement standards. Carver is also able to offer a broad array of additional enrichment services designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program, such as STEM programs, and physical activity and nutrition education programs. Carver also offers literacy and related educational development services to the families of children we serve.