DOWAGIAC — A program that founders say have changed the lives of children is once again returning to Dowagiac Middle School.

The Dowagiac Five Star Life program will kick off its newest season on Sept. 27. The after-school program is designed for middle school students to fill two hours after school on Thursday with homework help and various activities. There is no cost for students to participate in the program. Enrollment to the program is open and students are admitted on a first come, first served basis.

“Five Star Life is changing education by changing the minds of students,” said President Seth Maust. “We believe the first step toward success is that mindset that makes or breaks a person, so ultimately, we teach students how to build a healthy mindset toward school, towards themselves, toward society, toward their peers, towards adults and teachers. It’s very simple, but we really drill down to help them and challenge them to think about where they are headed in life and how to get there.”

Five Star Life is an afterschool program focused on mentoring, at-risk education, work force readiness, character education and experiential learning. It was started 13 years ago, and was implemented in Dowagiac six years ago. The program, which at one time only included a few schools, now works in nearly 30 schools across Michigan, Indiana and Tennessee.

The program is both academic and physical, as each week mentors with the program check in on students’ grades and offer them tutoring and homework help. Then students have a choice of activity ranging from various sports to arts to card games, followed by a team building activity.

Students will also have the chance to visit the Five Star Life train facility, called Summit, on Oct. 20. There students will have the chance to participate in a full day of activities including archery, a ropes course, equine activity and more.

“It’s really fun and really cool,” Maust said. “We add the fun in with the education to help ensure success.”

The proof that the program helps students is in the statistics, Maust said.

Eighty percent of first-time drug abuse happens between ages 10 to 14; 80 percent of first time drug abuse happens between 3 and 6 p.m.; and 85 percent of all juvenile crime happens between 2 and 7 p.m., according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Five Star Life was originally created to combat these statistics by giving students in that age range a place to go during those peak hours, and Maust said it has for the students who have participated in the program. Citing data collected by Five Star Life, Maust indicated that 70 percent of participants raise their GPA or maintain a GPA at the average or better.

“When you look at all the factors for why children drop out of school or get in trouble, one common factor is middle school,” Maust said. “We originally started just focusing on middle after-school programs, but we didn’t just want to keep them off the streets, we wanted to take them on a journey. We want these kids to understand why education, their choices and their relationships are so important to the rest of their lives.”

The program is also currently looking for mentors and volunteers. To volunteer or enroll a student in the program, visit fivestarlife.org.