Family Connections
Family Connections, accredited by the National After-School Alliance and licensed by the Department of Children and Family Services, works with children, ages 5 through 12, and their families. It provides a thoughtful balance between creativity and structure and lays a solid foundation for participants’ emotional growth, leadership development, and academic performance, while incorporating family interaction and community involvement. Children participate in experiential learning activities such as working in their own garden, overseeing their own fitness routines, and managing entrepreneurial ventures to raise funds for a holiday party or to beautify their school. Children and parents develop life skills, confidence, and a sense of personal well being through these experiences.
Family Connections meets Monday through Friday, 2:24 – 6:00 PM, September through June.
Find out more
|
Teen Girls
For more than 20 years, the Teen Girls Programs at Family Matters – Sisters of Strength (for girls 14-19) and Sisters of Unity (for girls 11-13) have facilitated life-enhancing leadership and community-building opportunities for young women in the North of Howard community of Rogers Park. The programs provide a space for young women to think critically, explore new opportunities, and take risks within a challenging and safe environment. The programs give particular attention to supporting girls in exploring options and making healthy choices in areas that most impact them – identity, education, health, sexuality, relationships and careers. The young women are afforded meaningful opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills in ways that strengthen the community and the world around them.
The Teen Girls Programs meet Monday through Friday, September through July.
Find out more
Teen Boys
Brothers of New Directions (BOND) for high school teens , and Brothers on the Move (BOM) for middle school pre-teens, are Family Matters’ Teen Boys Programs. The Programs’ goal is to facilitate life enhancing leadership and community building opportunities for young men in the North of Howard neighborhood. They seek to equip youth with the resources, knowledge, and experience to make life-affirming decisions – particularly in areas that most impact the lives of young people, such as relationships, education, health and career options. To address the critical challenges that young men face, the program utilizes youth development strategies that foster self-efficacy and community consciousness. The intent is CLEAR—Community, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Art/Academics, and Respect.
The Teen Boys Programs meet Monday through Friday, September through July.
Find out more
|
Respectful Classroom
The Respectful Classroom is a youth development focused social and emotional learning curriculum, based on the Family Matters Principles of Leadership. The curriculum teaches tools to promote learning, mutual understanding, and shared leadership among all members of the classroom—including the teacher. These tools are closely aligned with the Social and Emotional Learning Skills for Education established by the State—critical tools for the classroom and for life. The long term goal for our Respectful Classroom Initiative is school reform via 1) healthy partnerships among administrators, parents, teachers, and students and 2) enhanced social and emotional intelligence that leads to increased teacher retention, higher attendance rates, reduced discipline challenges, and higher grades and test scores.
Find out more
Community Tutoring
Community Tutoring works to enhance the academic achievement of students in the North of Howard community. To that end, it foster a strong partnership among students, teachers, parents, and tutors. The program comprises the following initiatives:
• Evening Tutoring which pairs each student with a trained tutor;
• Learning Matters Summer School which includes small-group reading and math tutoring, a project-based learning camp for 3rd - 6th.
• IREAD, one-on-one tutoring that focuses on improving the spelling, reading, and writing skills of students of all ages who struggle due to dyslexia or other learning challenges;
• Wee Read, an early literacy component focused on pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students;
Community Tutoring meets Monday through Thursday, year round.
Find out more
|