EDUCATING HOMELESS CHILDREN IN AFTERSCHOOL: COLLABORATIONS THAT WORK FROM COMMUNITY GARDENS TO

HARNESSING THE POWER OF VOLUNTEERS

Tinnycua WilliamsEducation Programs Coordinator

Saratoga Family Inn, Homes for the HomelessNAEHCY 2012, Albuquerque, NM

October 29, 2012

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

Welcome to Today’s Presentation

Today’s Overview

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

Homes for the Homeless: A Community of Opportunity

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

Educating homeless children in afterschool: Collaborations that work

• Homes for the Homeless

Homes for the Homeless & Saratoga Family Inn

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

• 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 - 1:10• Population: Shelter & local community

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

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

The Challenge:

Internal & External Collaborations

Reso

urce

s

Academic Support

Personnel Support

The Opportunity:

Enrichment Activities

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

Key Components:

• Academic Support- Homework help, tutorial support, parent engagement

• Enrichment Activities – Special events, activities, field trips

• Personnel Support – Volunteers/Interns

Academic SupportThe New York City Department of Education Students in Temporary Housing & Queens Library

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)

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

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.)

More things to consider• Collaborations can provide tremendous assistance to

staff who may not have formal academic training (test prep, etc.)

Enrichment: Special events, activities, field trips..

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

• 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

Enrichment: Saratoga Children’s Garden

Enrichment: Saratoga Children’s Garden

• Started by a staff member in 2009

• Opportunity to expose children to fresh vegetables

• STEM, Nutrition, literacy activities

• Generated media exposure

Enrichment: Saratoga Children’s Garden

In Summer 2011students named

“Queens New Yorkers of the Week”

• Committed to fostering a collaborative, learning-centered community

• Committed to open-admission access for all learners

Mission:

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

Enrichment: Queensborough Community College (QCC)

Enrichment: Queensborough Community College (QCC)

• STEM Programming– Anatomy – Biology (DNA Extraction)– Nutrition

• Literacy– FRB Newsletter

• Art– Portrait Project

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

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!

Personnel Support – Volunteers/Interns

• 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

St. John’s University Vincentian Institute for Social Action (VISA) &

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

Personnel Support: Volunteers & Interns

Personnel Support: Volunteers & InternsBenefits

• Additional personnel support

• Interns trained to provide programs (phonemic awareness, literacy & math)

• External supervision (Graduate Assistant) relieves responsibility from Director

• 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

Touro College Graduate School of Social Work

Personnel Support: Volunteers & Interns

Personnel Support: Social Work Interns Benefits

• Behavior disturbances decreased• Additional mental health support• Increased Parent Engagement– Workshops– Individual parent meetings

• Additional liaison with the school

Touro College Graduate School of Social Work

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

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

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

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

Summary Recap• Don’t 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.

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/144453/queens-person-of-the-week--jamaica-garden-offers-healthy-choices-for-the-picking

Contact Information

Tinnycua WilliamsEducation Programs Coordinator

Saratoga Family InnHomes for the Homeless

718-244-0670twilliams@hfhnyc.org

QUESTIONS?