From left: Tutors Hina Ahmed, Patrick Brady and Kelli Chew at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center. Photo Cathy Tyson

For Lafayette students looking for a little academic assistance, help is available at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center's Homework Club free of charge, Monday through Thursday from 2:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Acalanes High School students and occasionally Stanley students are willing and able to assist on everything from math homework to English essays.

After spring break a husband and wife team of UC Berkeley Ph.D.'s in astrophysics and materials science will be joining the Club. Even the most serious students taking challenging advance placement classes can get help from this pair of Lafayette residents who want to give back to the community.

The project started with a grant application - in order to receive state grant money, there was a requirement to have a joint-use plan for the library and schools. "A group of school administrators from both districts, the librarian and some volunteers met to plan how to proceed and decided to launch the program. I then volunteered to carry out the plan because there is no budget for a program coordinator and we really didn't know how much time the job would take - whether it could be a permanent volunteer job or needed a paid coordinator," said Lafayette School Board President Ann Appert. "This pilot is to last through spring at which point we will assess how the program can operate in the fall."

Appert has had her hands full recruiting the students, organizing the training and managing the scheduling and supervision. Now that the Center is up and running she's currently looking for trends in the Homework Club's customer base. Turns out if the weather is good that translates into fewer students. "Mondays can be absolutely jammed - many of the elementary kids get a packet of work on that day," she added. Tentative near term plans include hosting AP exam reviews prior to tests, along with a special focus on final exams.