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Strive Charter School is set to open in Mott Haven this fall. What sets it apart from every other school is that it will be open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, including the summer.
Parents can drop off their children any time between 7 and 9 a.m., and pick up their children any time between 4:30 and 7 p.m. The hours outside traditional school hours will act as child care - and breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served daily.
School administrators tell News 12 the school schedule is aimed at helping working parents who struggle to secure reliable, affordable childcare.
"The traditional 9 to 5 is really not what our community does anymore. And so you're thinking about Uber drivers, Amazon workers, restaurant employees who all have kids, " said Rebecca Goodsell, the principal at Strive Charter School. "In order to get them to school and from school on time and have child care while they're at work, there's really nothing that exists currently that really caters to that need and for free."
During the weekends and the summer, school staff say it will resemble day camp. There will be fun games and enriching activities for the kids. And it's all optional.
"You can come for as little or as long as you want. You could drop off your child for an hour while you go shopping, or you could drop off your child for 12 hours while you do an Uber shift," said Eric Grannis, the executive director of Strive Charter School.
Teachers will only have to report to the school during traditional school hours. For the childcare hours, the school will hire additional staff who have experience taking care of children.
The school offers kindergarten through fourth grade instruction. It's set to open this fall, and applications for students are now open. The school will start recruiting teachers and support staff in the coming months.
You can find more information on their website.