Center for Youth
Goal
Help overcome Hartford’s most pressing issue – children living in poverty through education. Improve children’s academic skills,
self-confidence, leadership, team-building, creativity, maturity, and ability to interact with others through holistic, family-focused,
culturally-rich programs in a safe, positive environment.
- 40 children are enrolled in our pre-school program
- 300 children participate in our after-school academic tutoring and arts program
- 150 children attend our summer program
- 85 percent of children in Center for Youth programs come from homes where English is not the primary language
Why Center For Youth Is Important
The children of Hartford’s poorest neighborhoods face severe obstacles. Many come from single-parent households. They are
behind in school because of language barriers, since most come from households that speak only Spanish. Often, the importance
of education is not emphasized at home. Drop out and teen pregnancy rates in Hartford schools are among the highest in the nation.
The children of Hartford are clearly at risk in what was once America’s most prosperous city.
How It Works
Center For Youth provides services that the public schools cannot. Center For Youth includes after-school tutoring and cultural
enrichment programs, companion summer enrichment programs, and supportive school-based Family Resource Centers. Programs are offered
to children in grades K through 6th and their families at the Ramon Betances and Maria Sanchez Elementary Schools in Hartford.
Volunteers provide one-to-one tutoring in a variety of subjects four days a week. We also offer a homework review lab, facilitated by
adults with an education background. We offer cultural enrichment through arts education classes two days a week. We have also
offer music and dance classes.
During the school year, Center For Youth serves children Monday through Thursday from 3:15 to 5:15, critical hours in which the
alternative is usually the latchkey and no supervision. Fridays are reserved for special events, field trips and cultural activities.
In the summer, additional teachers/artists join the staff to ensure that children are occupied in worthwhile pursuits in the months
they are not in school. All programs are coordinated with the Hartford Public Schools’ curriculum so that there is continuity and a
single sense of purpose.
Children come to Center For Youth via teacher referrals or parental request. Children with learning disabilities and physical handicaps
are readily integrated in the after-school program. Both the
Center For Youth and the Family Resource Center are available as a resource to children, parents, teachers and administrators all through
the day.
Role of Volunteers
During the school year Center For Youth volunteers provide tutoring support. Tutors teach math, reading
and writing, and are recruited from area schools, universities, colleges, corporations and congregations. They work individually
and in groups with children to improve academic performance, build children’s self-esteem, provide positive adult role models,
and present opportunities for relationship building.
We encourage community members to become a part of Center for Youth
as mentors, tutors or chaperones for field trips. Involvement is guaranteed to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of Hartford children.
We realize our goals by adding to the volunteer base, engaging more tutors and encouraging families from the Sheldon/Charter Oak and
Frog Hollow neighborhoods to participate in Center for Youth activities and programs, particularly the Family Resource Centers’ parent support programs.
Impact
Center for Youth has:
- Improved the academic performance of children, providing them with the educational edge that is so important to their success.
- Built children’s self esteem through the arts and providing opportunities to succeed outside of their regular classroom activity.
- Enhanced the children’s experience in their own culture and introducing them to others so that they are prepared for life in an interdependent global society.
- Harnessed contributions and resources from local and visiting artists and the local business and volunteer community.
- Woven children and their families into the creative, social and economic fabric of the Hartford community.
