Y.O.U. Champions

Family Night: Parents, Kids, and Y.O.U. Staff Stay in Touch

School is long over for the day, but a handful of kids at Washington Elementary School are still hanging around. They’re sitting elbow-to-elbow with their parents and a dedicated group of Y.O.U. staff members in the cafeteria, sharing a meal.

All eyes are on the front of the room, where two Y.O.U. leaders pitch summer programs and fill parents in on opportunities available at Evanston’s middle schools.

The 21st Century Community Learning Center at Washington has come a long way since its start in 2004, and family nights like this are one of the reasons.

“It’s a completely different program than it was when we started,” says Y.O.U. Youth Development Worker Meredith Selway. “The kids have so much invested now – especially those who have been here a while.”

The 21st Century program is still growing. Y.O.U. staff members make a special effort to keep parents informed and involved through regular phone calls and newsletters. But family nights provide all-important personal contact.

On this night, 11-year-old Sierra and her grandmother, Christine, linger after dinner to talk with staff and friends. Sierra, a chatty fifth-grader with inexhaustible energy, has participated in the program at Washington since its start.

“It worked out well for us because it was a structured place for her to be after school,” explains Christine. “I like that, and I particularly like the fact that they have time set aside for homework. Sierra needs that regimentation.”

Sierra says her grades have improved since she began getting help with schoolwork every day, but admits she’d just as soon be playing foursquare, baseball, basketball, or soccer. Fortunately, the program’s schedule ensures there’s plenty of time for both work and play.

Opening Youth to New Experiences

"Last year we were able to take the children to Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin to the Jelly Belly Factory. They enjoyed that greatly and had a wonderful time. We also had our reading group go to Navy Pier and see an IMAX movie. Many of those children had never been to Navy Pier before." – Leticia Lemus, Site Coordinator, Washington Elementary School

Teachers Get Involved—and Get Value in Return

More than 30 students attend the 21st Century program at Washington Elementary, many of them referred by teachers and administrators. School staff members also support the program in other ways.

Fourth-grade teacher Betty Salgado, who just completed her second year at Washington, is one of about a half-dozen teachers who stop by regularly during program hours. During the last year, Salgado not only spent time tutoring Y.O.U. students, she recruited many of them for her popular Latino Dance Club.

“Besides being a teacher and helping my own students achieve their goals, I want to be involved with other students at the school,” she says, explaining that Y.O.U. helped her connect quickly with students outside the classroom.

For an enthusiastic new teacher, Y.O.U. was the perfect introduction to the school community. But as much as the 21st Century Community Learning Center has shaped Salgado’s experience as a teacher, she knows it’s doing far more for her students.

“The differences that I’m seeing in my students’ learning abilities and their social abilities are just amazing,” she says.

A Day in the Life …

Have you ever considered what it takes to run an organized, effective after-school program for youth? Here’s a typical day for a Site Coordinator at one school. This happens to be Gina Sineni, the Y.O.U. Site Coordinator at Nichols Middle School, but it fits equally the usual workday for the other Y.O.U. coordinators:

10-2:30: Check emails, update budgets, maintain communication with outside providers, research new activities, supervise lunch time at Nichols, make program schedules, phone parents, meet with School Social Workers/Principal, purchase materials/snacks needed for program, Teen Reach data input, attend Y.O.U. agency meetings, attend ESAPC meetings.

2:30-3: Meet with Work-Study Staff to orient them for that day’s agenda and discuss ongoing or new issues with certain students.

3-6: Meet students at Nichols to begin program—Supervise and engage students during academic time by answering homework questions and keeping students quiet and on-track with their homework; supervise and engage students in the activity for that day, which may include YMCA swimming lessons, art lessons at Open Studio, Poetry workshop, Junior Achievement, Boys Group/Girls Group, Community Service Learning Projects, etc.; supervise and engage students in open recreation time, which may include a structured basketball game, tennis match, 4-Square game, Kickball Game, Videogames, Consequence-Time or additional homework time.

6-7: Office Work—Call parents, provide Case-Management services to 3-5 students, enter student attendance and points into database, return emails, plan for the following day/week, etc.

“Y.O.U. Brings More of an Understanding of the Whole Child”

“Y.O.U. brings more of an understanding of the whole child. In school systems right now there’s a lot of pressure to collect data and look at children in terms of what they’re achieving on tests, and Y.O.U. brings in other things that are important: enrichment activities and family support [as well as] some of the other areas that children need help with that teachers in a classroom of 20 to 25 kids often don’t have as much time to address, or the resources to address.” - Myra Janus, 21st Century Community Learning Center Program Coordinator of District 65