Our mission is simple. We want to provide an exemplary out-of-school time (OST) system, where all children and youth will have opportunities to thrive. EBB is committed to helping students develop a sense of belonging, build relationships with peers and adults, acquire new skills, develop new interests and increase school attendance as a result of their participation in the program. Providing sufficient breadth and depth of programs will support student achievement and personal growth, in turn inspiring youth to achieve their full potential.
Our history began with a 2007 report on the Status of Out-of-School Time in Montgomery County which led to the creation of Excel Beyond the Bell in May 2008. The Excel Beyond the Bell Collaborative brings together a large community of stakeholders, convened by the Montgomery County Collaboration Council, with a major focus on creating and sustaining high-quality out-of-school time programs using positive youth development practices.
- In Fall of 2010, three Montgomery County middle schools were selected to pilot a comprehensiveExcel Beyond the Bell (EBB) out-of-school time program focusing on middle school youth—Argyle, A. Mario Loiederman, and Roberto Clemente, with 744 students participating; by the 2014/2015 school year, the program had expanded to Col. E. Brooke Lee, Forest Oak and Neelsville middle schools serving 1,304 youth. The most recent addition to our EBB family for Fall of 2014 is Montgomery Village.
- Main partners in this work include the Montgomery County Collaboration Council, the Montgomery County Recreation Department, and Montgomery County Public Schools, in addition to a wide range of community youth-serving organizations, funders, government agencies and talented individuals.
- In addition to the program opportunities offered at all seven EBB schools, the Excel Beyond the Bell Collaborative continues to make a collective impact on the community through the creation of career pathways for youth development professionals leading to positive outcomes and high quality out-of-school time programs.
- Check out FAST FACTS to learn more.
