Ridgewood Avenue Home & School Association Offers Entrepreneurship Program “TREP$”

Marketplace will be held on Thursday, February 4, in the RAS Cafeteria

TREP$, the award-winning entrepreneurship education program for youth, is being offered this year for the first time at Ridgewood Avenue School in

Glen Ridge. In a 6-week period and six after-school workshops 4^th, 5^th and 6^th graders are learning the fundamentals of how to start their own business.

The entrepreneurship program culminates in a marketplace, where Ridgewood Avenue students will sell their products and services to the public.

Glen Ridge residents Irmine Hero and Ellen Fitton, co-chairs of the Ridgwood Avenue School Discovery Committee, introduced the program to the Glen

Ridge middle school. “Experiencing life as a small business owner is an empowering, self esteem-builder for children”, says Irmine Hero. She saw the

unique opportunity to introduce a program where all children, not only the physically or academically gifted, could achieve success, and in turn, improve

self-esteem.

Children are given the opportunity to enroll in a series of 6 after-school workshops where they receive instructions and will be guided through various

creative exercises to understand the ready skills of entrepreneurship, as well as team dynamics.

During this 6-week period, 53 students at Ridgewood Avenue school will research and develop the products or services they will sell or promote at

the “TREP$ Marketplace”. This year’s Marketplace will be held on Thursday, February 4, in the Cafeteria of Ridgewood Avenue School from

6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The event is free and open to the public. The entire community is invited to come and see what happens when you give

children the creative outlet and responsibility that comes with starting a business venture.

TREP$ was created by Pamela deWaal and Hayley Romano, two certified teachers who reside in West Milford, New Jersey. The program was

piloted in the West Milford school district at Paradise Knoll School in Oak Ridge. Based on the merits of the program, the Paradise Knoll PTA

earned the New Jersey PTA’s Champion for Children Award for best new program.