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To help with the virtual start to the school year, the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts is launching the Suffolk Arts Enrichment Program.

From 8:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., the Suffolk Arts Program will give students in fourth through 10th grades a structured environment to keep up with their virtual learning and learn about the arts.

“Once we heard that school would be virtual these next nine weeks, we knew there was a need,” said Gavin Harper, program director for the Suffolk Arts Program. “Kids needed socially distant classrooms, and parents need to go back to work.”

This program has a daily schedule to keep kids on task for virtual learning and has art-based activities. Each morning, students in the program will come with a packed lunch and school supplies. The students will have to provide their own computers, but the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts has boosted its wifi for better access.

“As they do their work online, there will be a facilitator in the room with them,” said Harper. “These facilitators will be in there to help the students if they have any technical issues as well as keep them on tasks and make sure their work gets done.”

After lunch, the students will rotate through a weekly schedule of art-related activities. These activities include Abstract Painting, African-Culture Dance, Music Appreciation, Robotics, Improvisation Acting and Culinary Arts.

“In keeping with the Suffolk Center’s mission, we are adding an arts component to round out and enhance their overall educational experience,” said Susan Lawrence, the SCCA executive director.

Each class size will be limited to 10 kids, and the different classes will not interact with each other in order to keep contact down. After school classes are available for an additional fee from 4:30 to 5:50 p.m. These classes are more specified classes that are not taught during the program.

“We are here for the community and want to help enrich kids in the community with the arts,” said Harper.

The program will start Sept. 21 and run through Nov. 20 for $225 a week. Students can register for the whole nine weeks or one week at a time. Visit suffolkcenter.org for more information.