September 2020 Children and Family Services Updates
21st CCLC summer wrap-up, fall planning and a Parent Support Outreach Program (PSOP) client story.
21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) Summer Wrap Up and Fall Planning
Summer Learning Programs for Community School of Excellence (CSE) students ended on July 30th and we’re proud of the work that was done throughout the summer and amid this pandemic. For grades 2–10, the focus was on enrichment and incorporated literacy and math standards. Middle school students had an optional day to meet in person however most of their learning was done virtually. Enrichment classes offered to students included cooking, video game design, illustration, painting, animation, coding, and photography.
High school students were given two programs to choose from. One program was creating and developing activity kits to give out to community members such as origami kits, for example. The other program was the HAP Academy OIC Clothing Store which included an entrepreneurship curriculum allowed for students to learn how to build a business and focus on developing entrepreneurial skills, marketing and sales.
Additionally, each Friday since August, HAP has provided weekly produce through the Local Emergency Assistance Farmer Fund (LEAFF) to the CSE community. This program will run through the end of October. Learn more about our partnership with LEAFF here.
Planning for Fall Programming
As we plan for fall, elementary aged students will have the opportunity for enrichment kit making and after-school tutoring. Middle school students will have access to enrichment activities, as well as partnering with other HAP programs to provide additional courses. CSE high school students will continue their work with Spark-Y, a partner organization dedicated to empowering youth through real world, hands-on sustainability and entrepreneurship projects. Learn more about Spark-Y here.
Earn and Learn is a program that provides CSE high school students with a paid opportunity to dive into the world of productization. Productization is the process of designing something that people will buy. In this case, our team of Earn and Learn scholars are supporting Spark-Y staff in designing STEM kits – tiny packages that allow students to do hands-on projects at home! Participants will give feedback on existing kits, design a new kit, and help us package kits that will be delivered to students in Ramsey county.
Parent Support Outreach Program Client Story
Payao is a single mother of four young children under the age of 18. She became a HAP client through the Medical Flex Fund program and was eventually enrolled into the Parent Support Outreach Program (PSOP) in May 2020. When Payao entered PSOP, she was running from an abusive relationship, struggling to keep herself and her children safe and had financial situation that was a burden since she did not work and was dependent on her spouse. Payao also did not know how to drive and did not have a permanent place to live with her children. Over the last three months with PSOP services, Payao was able to find a permanent home and learned how to manage and maintain her finances. Until she was able to find a job, PSOP provided three month’s rent for Payao. She has since obtained her driver’s permit and learned how to drive. Through the program, with parenting and community resources, she learned to be independent and how to provide a safe home environment for her children. Payao now lives in a small apartment with her four young children and has been financially stable, independent and providing the best parenting to her children.