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Since many parents work at low paying jobs, they are unable
to afford the cost of child daycare. As a result, children come home
without a parent to welcome them, offer a snack or assist with homework.
Absent parental direction, children simply pass time with the television.
Additionally, unsupervised children may become prime candidates for gang
participation or drug experimentation.
XYZ Housing has responded by developing XYZ Children’s
Club, an after school and summer program for children, that provides
educational and developmental support. It is our belief and experience that
these supportive programs are the resource that parents need to bring about
a more stable life for their children. Working with parents and families,
together we can help break the cycle of poverty through early intervention.
Community involvement and
collaborations
XYZ Children’s Club does not duplicate services already made available by other
organizations that are accessible to our residents. It is our practice to
draw from the many community resources available in the nearby area and to
work cooperatively with agencies to assure the best possible utilization of
resources. We work to share information, ideas, and other resources with
agencies similar to XYZ Children’s Club.
Although afterschool programs exist through Boys and Girls
Clubs, Together! of
Thurston County
and local school districts, XYZ Children’s Club provides advantages not
afforded through other programs.
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Services at home.
Other programs occur miles away from our apartment complexes. Without a
personal vehicle, many parents would need to children to walk or ride the
bus in dark, unsafe neighborhoods.
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Collaboration with
teachers. We
have an ongoing relationship with the local schools serving our resident
children.
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Comprehensive child
development. Programs such as Together! of
Thurston
County focus primarily on tobacco-use prevention. In addition to
educational and developmental support, our comprehensive programs address
truancy prevention, consumer education and emergency food & clothing.
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Unlimited capacity.
Typically local schools have limited capacity and must place new
registrants on waiting lists, requiring parents the daunting task of
finding interim solutions.
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Family Support.
IH works regularly with parents by providing parenting classes, computer
classes and holiday socials.
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Continuum of care.
XYZ Children’s Club operates 12 months per year, allowing children
to continue friendships and academic skill development continuously
throughout the year.
C. Proposal
Project Description
Each property offers a comprehensive resident outreach
program supported by a service coordinator who facilitates direct individual
and group services. XYZ Children’s Club offers services through two
primary formats: the after-school and the summer programs. The after-school
component seeks to establish academic confidence within the child, while
imparting a joy for learning. The program takes place 2-3 hours a day, 5
days a week for 36 weeks of the academic year focusing on academic and
social development. The curriculum format fosters reading skills,
independent and assisted homework, snack and social activities,
computer access, arts and crafts, individual tutoring and other group
activities. On days that school is out of session the program utilizes
guest speakers and field trips, which expose children to subjects such as
art, history and nature. In addition, service coordinators work in
conjunction with school counselors, teachers and nurses to share information
regarding children’s learning disabilities, tardiness or low attendance
issues. Total staff includes a service coordinator and 2-4 program
assistants.
The summer program component of XYZ Children’s Club
operates 4 hours a day, 5 days a week for 10 weeks of summer, and is
supervised by one service coordinator and 1-3 part time assistants depending
on the site. The goal of XYZ Children’s Club for each site is to
provide activities, both educational and social, and a healthy lunch each
weekday during the 10-week period. Lunch is provided through The USDA
Summer Lunch Program, which offers a free nutritious meal. A reading
component, which helps motivate children to read through incentives, serves
as a tool to continue reading skill development. Last year, each child read
an average of 15 hours per week during the summer. In addition to
the reading and lunch programs, sites offer a comprehensive activity program
through field trips, educational programs, organized cooperative games, and
art projects. Also, each site makes available the computer lab for
continued exposure to new technology.
Projected Goals
q
We will
increase youth participation by 10%, averaging by June 2002.
q
We will
increase community volunteers by 10% at each site by June 2002.
q
We will build
on the excellent cooperative relationships established with local elementary
schools by creating one new contact in the school district.
q
We will see
and increase in school attendance.
q
Math and
reading skill will increase one grade level for 50% of the children by June
2002.
Anticipated impact and
benefits to society
XYZ Children’s Club recognizes that in order to stop the cycle of poverty we
must intervene in the lives of our children and invest in their future. By
investing in their future, the benefits to individuals and society will
continue for years to come. Furthermore, our work directly benefits society
through IH’s active involvement with local organizations and community
groups, 2) efforts to improve the lives of low-income children, parents and
local neighbors, and 3) work to reduce neighborhood crime.
Service Coordinators work cooperatively with the schools,
Chamber of Commerce education committee, Housing Authority, task forces, and
other organizations that improve the quality of life for the entire
community. These are an important part in building and strengthening
community coalitions. These positive experiences create a ripple effect in
the nature of society. Providing support and encouragement to parents and
children struggling for a brighter future, ensure that success will bring
hope to all. Finally, area neighbors can be confident that their community
is addressing the academic and social problems that plague the children of
the working poor. Drugs and crime are often a result of fear and hopeless
born out of a life of poverty. XYZ Children’s Club serves as a
channel through which low-income children can experience hope for the future
and courage to expect success, enabling freedom from issues that plague the
lives of those in poverty.
Project evaluation process
Through a monthly reporting process and daily record
keeping, the following are
XYZ Children’s Club strategies to track the success rate each year:
·
XYZ
Children’s Club daily attendance is taken.
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School
attendance is monitored twice daily.
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Reading
and math levels are monitored to track academic progress.
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Following the
close of the 36-week after school and 10-week summer program, small groups
gather including children, volunteers, parents and other staff, to offer
input and evaluation.
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Individual
cases are documented to evaluate the overall improvement in attitude,
behavior and school performance.
·
Regular
contact is made with the local schools to ensure the provided programs are
consistent with the children’s educational and social experience at school.
D. Funding
The services IH offers cannot be fully supported by the
affordable rents paid by the families. It is necessary to augment funding
to ensure after-school and summer programs are provided.
In order to continue our service component at IH properties
to children and their families we request $21,000 to support XYZ
Children’s Club for the twelve-month fiscal year beginning
July 1, 2001. Please see
the attached project budget including potential and actual sources of
support.
Plans for Continued Funding
XYZ
Housing is committed to funding this project through the acquisition of
grants, donations and long term financial planning. In order for
XYZ Children’s Club
to
continue as a major emphasis of the resident service program, we will
aggressively pursue local, state and national funding. Efforts are underway
to increase the portion of
XYZ Children’s Club
expenses in the operating budget of IH properties covered by tenant rents.
It is anticipated that over the next 3-5 years, reliance on donations will
be reduced.
D.
Additional Information
Below are some recent quotes from a survey completed by the
participants of XYZ Children’s Club.
“I like living here because during the school year we get
help with our homework and during the summer we eat lunch together, have
reading contests and play with our friends.
Tim, age 12,
Lincoln Way
- Lynnwood
“The best thing about living here is having a family center.
My mom can’t help that much because she is tired when she comes home, so
Tereasa and Christi help me with my reading.”
Peyush, age 11, Appian Way
- XYZ
“The programs for kids help make me a better person. Before
I moved here, I used to just sit around and watch T.V.”
Laura, age 11, XYZ Vista -
XYZ
“The best thing about living here in the summer is that you
can walk over to the computer lab and play math games on the computer”.
Viktoriya, age 11,
Lincoln Way - Lynnwood
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