RAPID CITY - Teams of amateur detectives are at work this summer to solve mysteries of lost teddy bears and unveil the secrets behind the manufacture of such flavorful items as toothpaste, cola and ice cream.

Ranging in age from 6 to 11, these crack sleuths are conducting their investigations at Knollwood Elementary School where they are enrolled in the Discovery Center program operated by Black Hills Special Services Cooperative.

The summer program is a continuation of the Discovery Center after-school program that serves about 750 children each year through programs at Knollwood, General Beadle and Horace Mann elementary schools and North Middle School.

The program is funded by a $100,000 21st Century Community Learning Center grant from the state, according to project director Mary Bartron.

The 21st Century Learning Centers help children attending schools eligible for schoolwide Title I funding based on income levels or schools with 40 percent or greater poverty based upon income guidelines used to determine eligibility for free or reduced-price school lunches.

The poverty requirements are "unfortunate, because all of the schools need these programs," Bartron said

Centers are in schools or buildings that offer easy access for qualifying families and their children.

In fiscal year 2006, South Dakota awarded more than $4.8 million in grants for 21st Century Community Learning Centers. Those funds provided after-school and summer educational programs for 14,580 children. Of those children, 4,951 regularly participated in the programs for more than 30 days.

During the school year, children enrolled in programs move seamlessly from school to the after-school programs that are coordinated by certified teachers who work closely with math and literacy teachers at each school. The activities and programs are designed around lesson plans that meet the state education standards, Bartron said.

The elementary after-school programs run until 6 p.m. At North, students are released at 5:30 p.m. to give them time to get home before dark.

"We support and reinforce the school day learning," Bartron said.

One of the biggest challenges coordinators face is to design lessons that do not resemble school, Bartron said.

"It's important that the lessons are not a repetition of the school day, she said.

Lessons center on activities where children learn while they have fun.

"They don't even know they're learning," Bartron said.

That philosophy of having fun while learning is closely adhered to during the summer, but the program is designed for academic enrichment.

"We believe that … in almost any activity you can do, you can incorporate some learning," Bartron said.

The Rapid City School District recognizes the summer Discover Center program as a replacement for summer school because of its success, Bartron said.

Kristen Lyon enrolled her son, Mikel, in the program to help him catch up with his classmates.

Mikel, 6, was recently diagnosed with learning problems.

"By the time we figured out what was wrong, he was behind," Lyon said. "He also needs the social interaction."

A neighbor recommended the Discovery Center to help Mikel because her children have such a great time when they attend, Lyon said.

There is rarely a fee for the program because so many families are below the poverty level, Bartron said. To help offset the cost of the program, parents who qualify for child-care assistance are asked to fill out an application for the supplemental assistance.

The Discovery Center is recognized by the state as a certified childcare provider, Bartron said.

The childcare assistance and a grant to provide supplemental tutoring/homework help are used to offset some of the costs of the program, which receives fewer 21st Century Learning Center funds than it did in the past, Bartron said.

The Rapid City School District contributes facilities and utilities for the program, she said. The school district's food service provides meals through the summer meal assistance program.

"They recognize the importance of the education continuing for these kids," Bartron said.

The summer Discovery Center at Knollwood brings together children from Horace Mann and General Beadle schools.

The program runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Children are fed breakfast, lunch and two snacks during the day. The program started June 11 and runs through July 27.

Morning is devoted to academics sessions focusing on technology, math and literacy, and there's also time to just be a kid and play.

Eyes focused on the computer, Mercades Reed matched her spelling skills with the resident ogre on the Island of Cyclops. Technology is her favorite part of the morning, she said.

"I'm spelling words to defeat the monster," Mercades said. "It's fun."

Jamie Coyle is one of two teachers working with the academic program. She taught third grade at Knollwood for the past three years and spent her summers working for the Discovery program.

Teachers always worry about their students losing ground academically during the summer, she said.

"As a teacher, you want you're kids to be reading during the summer," Coyle said. "It's nice with the Discovery Center because there's still the academic connection with their reading"

Coyle has also noticed that children who attend the Discovery Center ease smoothly into the school routine when school starts.

Afternoons are designated as camp time, according to Knollwood coordinator Desmond Keller.

On a recent afternoon, Keller led a group of second and third-graders through investigation of toothpaste.

First, the students examined a small sample of toothpaste, tasting it and discussing its "attributes," including taste, feel and scent. Their investigation continued into an exploration of the foaming characteristics of soap, water, glycerin and calcium carbonate.

"The whole concept here is that we're observing, comparing and making predictions," Keller said.

The kids are learning the scientific process while they make cola, toothpaste and ice cream.

Hopefully, when they're in high school, the kids realize that their summer investigations taught them the scientific process, Keller said.

A former classroom teacher, Keller is the year-round site coordinator at Knollwood. He likes the flexibility of the program and the creative freedom it gives him, he said.

Another important component of the summer Discovery Center is field trips, according to Bartron.

Children take swimming trips and tour sites in the Black Hills and Rapid City. For many children, the trips are the only opportunity they have to see some of those sites, Bartron said.

The Rapid City YMCA and Youth and Family Services are also 21st Century Community Learning Center grant recipients

The 21st Century Community Learning Center grants provide a "wonderful for children," Bartron said.

"It's been wonderful for the children," Bartron said. "It's all about learning and fun and a safe place for kids to go."

Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com