Educating homeless children in afterschool: Collaborations that work from community gardens to harnessing the power of volunteers

1
Educating homeless children in afterschool
Collaborations that work from community gardens
to harnessing the power of volunteers

• Tinnycua Williams
• Education Programs Coordinator
• Saratoga Family Inn, Homes for the Homeless
• NAEHCY 2012, Albuquerque, NM
• October 29, 2012

2
Welcome to Todays Presentation

• Speaker Introduction
• Tinnycua Williams, Education Programs
  Coordinator, Saratoga Family Inn, HFH
• Oversee Afterschool Programs for Elementary,
  Middle HS
• Oversee Adult Education Programs consisting of
  Pre-GED programs, Career development/Education,
  etc.
• Community liaison and outreach including
  community partnerships

3
Todays Overview
4

• Mission to provide homeless families with the
  opportunities and support necessary to move out
  of shelter and live independently.

5
Homes for the Homeless A Community of
Opportunity
6

• Homes for the Homeless

• Some Quick facts
• Over 18 million meals served to New York City
  homeless families since 1986
• 2,500 families served every year
• Over 100 young homeless children served via Early
  Childhood programs
• Nearly 125 children receive HW Help every
  weeknight
• Over 12,000 homeless children have attended HFH
  summer camp

7
Saratoga Family Inn
Homes for the Homeless Saratoga Family Inn

• Established 1987
• One of 4 American Family Inns
• Located in Queens, New York
• Capacity 255 families
• Approximately 375 children
• One of the largest shelters in the Country

8
Saratoga Brownstone Future Link O.S.T. After
School Program

• Located in Saratoga Family Inn
• OST stands for Out of School Time
• Funded through local govt. agency
• Staffing Director, Head Instructor, Recreation
  Director, Line Staff
• Staff child ratio - 110
• Population Shelter local community

9
Saratoga Brownstone Future Link O.S.T. After
School Program

• Brownstone (Elementary Grades K-5)
• Future Link (Middle School Grades 6-8)
• Current enrollment 90 Brownstone
• 15 Future Link
• Average daily attendance 70-80 children a day
• Operation Mon-Fri, 3pm 6pm during select
  holidays

10
The Challenge
11
The Opportunity

• Provide enriching afterschool programs that
  support children in the facility via strategic
  collaborations

Personnel Support
Enrichment Activities
Resources
Academic Support
Internal External Collaborations
12
Key Components

• Academic Support- Homework help, tutorial
  support, parent engagement
• Enrichment Activities Special events,
  activities, field trips
• Personnel Support Volunteers/Interns

13
Academic Support
The New York City Department of Education
Students in Temporary Housing Queens Library
14
Academic Support New York City Department of
Education (DOE) Students in Temporary Housing

• Sept 2001 June 2011
• 3 DOE teachers
• HW Assistance
• Tutoring
• Test Preparation
• Teaching Artists
• Parental Engagement (Family Nights)

15
Academic Support Queens Library

• Literacy programs during the summer
• Library Cards for parents children
• Clearing parent/student record (erasing fines)
• Free tickets to the Museum
• Introduce/Reintroduce library resources

16
Things to consider

• Have an alternative plan in cases of budget
  reduction
• Communication is critical
• Information sharing mutually beneficial
• Strong partnerships increased recruitment and
  retention
• Library resources beneficial for kids adults
  (job readiness, computer classes, etc.)

17
More things to consider

• Collaborations can provide tremendous assistance
  to staff who may not have formal academic
  training (test prep, etc.)

18
Enrichment Special events, activities, field
trips..
19
Enrichment New York City Department of Education
(DOE) Students in Temporary Housing

• STEM Fridays Program
• Partnership with Counseling in Schools
• 3 hours a week
• Provided a teacher a social worker
• Science based field trips

20
Enrichment Saratoga Childrens Garden

• 2011 National Garden Association grant Winner
• Located in the parking lot of the Saratoga Family
  Inn
• approx. 20 feet X 50 feet, rectangular
• flower border and vegetables (summer 2011
  vegetables included several varieties of
  tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, pumpkins,
  watermelons)
• 6 fruit trees scattered within pre-school play
  area, one of each plum, apple, pear, cherry,
  fig, etc.
• Program uses curriculum from the National
  Gardening Association (science and nutrition
  based)
• 2012 received additional grant from Queensborough
  Community College

21
Enrichment Saratoga Childrens Garden

• Started by a staff member in 2009
• Opportunity to expose children to fresh
  vegetables
• STEM, Nutrition, literacy activities
• Generated media exposure

22
Enrichment Saratoga Childrens Garden
In Summer 2011 students named Queens New
Yorkers of the Week
23
Enrichment Queensborough Community College (QCC)
Mission

• Committed to fostering a collaborative,
  learning-centered community
• Committed to open-admission access for all
  learners

24
Enrichment Queensborough Community College (QCC)

• Community college under City University of New
  York (CUNY)
• Located in Bayside, Queens, New York
• One of the most diverse populations of any
  college in U.S.
• Students represent 129 nations 99 native
  languages
• 15,000 students pursue associate
  degree/certificate programs
• Began service learning projects in Spring 2007

25
Enrichment Queensborough Community College (QCC)

• STEM Programming
• Anatomy
• Biology (DNA Extraction)
• Nutrition
• Literacy
• FRB Newsletter
• Art
• Portrait Project

26
Things to consider

• Engage participant feedback
• For multiple program partnership a single contact
• Share your vision upfront!
• Sharing facility needs can result in increased
  service offerings
• Enrichment activities are a great recruitment tool

27
Things to consider

• Take lots of pictures
• Open houses great for parent engagement
• Collaborate with professors whenever possible
• Where students are involved provide an
  orientation in advance to educate regarding
  population, facility, etc.
• Look to collaborate internally as well as
  externally. You are your own best resource!

28
Personnel Support Volunteers/Interns
29
Personnel Support Volunteers Interns
St. Johns University Vincentian Institute for
Social Action (VISA) Brownstone Future Link
O.S.T. After School Program

• Local University in Queens, New York
• Established partnership Fall 2010
• Explores issues of poverty and social injustice
• Students work with community organizations
• Ozanam Scholar students assist in After School
  Program
• Graduate student supervisors

30
Personnel Support Volunteers InternsBenefits

• Additional personnel support
• Interns trained to provide programs (phonemic
  awareness, literacy math)
• External supervision (Graduate Assistant)
  relieves responsibility from Director

31
Personnel Support Volunteers Interns
Touro College Graduate School of Social Work

• Established in 2006
• Focus on diverse and vulnerable populations in
  metropolitan NYC area
• Partnership established in 2012
• External Field Instructor allows onsite field
  supervisor
• Pilot group consists of 2 MSW interns
• Interns provide individual group counseling

32
Personnel Support Social Work Interns Benefits
Touro College Graduate School of Social Work

• Behavior disturbances decreased
• Additional mental health support
• Increased Parent Engagement
• Workshops
• Individual parent meetings
• Additional liaison with the school

33
Things to consider

• Orient all volunteers/interns from the very
  beginning
• Volunteers/interns can become permanent staff
• Inexperienced interns are time consuming!
• Open communication with partner schools critical
• Set realistic expectations Volunteers/Interns
  are not staff!
• Be clear about each volunteers role based on
  interest not everyone wants to or is capable of
  working with kids

34
Things to consider

• Involve volunteers/interns as much as possible in
  staff trainings orientations
• Information sharing is beneficial and critical to
  ensure that everyone is on the same page
• Interns can assist with program evaluation
• Sharing program needs with partner can result in
  increased resources
• Survey interns at the end of each semester to
  assess experience and obtain feedback- this can
  be valuable for future planning

35
Things to consider

• MSW interns require a licensed social worker
  (LCSW) to supervise them.
• If there are no licensed social workers at your
  facility some schools hire outside instructors to
  conduct clinical supervision

36
Summary Recap

• Homeless children deal with many challenges which
  serve as obstacles to academic progress and
  success
• One of the ways we as providers can address these
  needs is in the afterschool setting through both
  internal external collaborations
• To be effective we concentrated on 3 main
  components Academic support, enrichment
  personnel support
• Every component has various considerations but
  communication information sharing is key

37
Summary Recap

• Dont be afraid to share your vision with others
  and include them in the evaluation process
• Be patient. Collaborations take time
• Stay the course, persevere, the more determined
  you are, the more others will feel empowered to
  join you for the ride.

38
Resources

• Homes for the Homeless www.hfhnyc.org
• The Institute for Children, Poverty and
  Homelessness www.icphusa.org
• Queensborough Community College Service Learning
  www.qcc.cuny.edu/servicelearning/index.html
• Saratoga garden on NY 1 www.ny1.com/content/14445
  3/queens-person-of-the-week--jamaica-garden-offers
  -healthy-choices-for-the-picking

39
Contact Information

• Tinnycua WilliamsEducation Programs Coordinator
• Saratoga Family Inn
• Homes for the Homeless
• 718-244-0670
• twilliams_at_hfhnyc.org

40
Questions?
41
(No Transcript)