Center for Success Takes Literacy Online

By: Kristine Uyeda

How do you take a proven youth literacy program into a digital platform and make it equitable, impactful, and sustainable?

Over the course of the school year, Center for Success provides structured after school programming for elementary and middle school students. Youth have access to transportation from partner schools, nourishing meals, high-quality enrichment activities, and participate in one-on-one individualized literacy mentoring designed for each youth’s unique needs. In addition to their onsite programs in Detroit and Pontiac, Center for Success also supports youth at five Brilliant Detroit locations and the Downtown Boxing Gym.

Andrea Meyer, Executive Director at Center for Success, had never been in a leadership role where she faced the kinds of decisions that now confronted her and the Board of Directors in the wake of COVID-19. The Board, understandably, wanted to preserve the long-term financial viability of the organization. Their first impulse was to pause programming and lay off staff. This wasn’t an option in Andrea’s mind—neither for the families they served, nor the program staff. So she went to work on creating a new path forward.

The two pressing issues were: what would it look like to re-envision and execute programs virtually, and where would the funding come from to continue operations. Andrea didn’t position herself as the authority figure who had all the insight. She employed an inclusive process and went to staff to see how they felt about continuing and what they wanted to contribute to the process. She asked, “What do you know about your students, what do you know about yourself, and how can we translate that into a digital platform.” She was blown away. Staff came up with inspiring ideas and were completely committed to navigating this next step with her.

The process of rebuilding for online learning was anchored by two beliefs: that learning can happen anywhere and that they were going to model what it looks like to be a lifelong learner. As staff dug in and began developing ideas, a program with a variety of offerings emerged. Simple activities like Riddle of the Day and Read Aloud Storytime were augmented by more structured experiences like science activities, homework help, and Mommy and Me Yoga which has featured themes like animal shapes. Center for Success also worked with their volunteer literacy mentors to train them on Zoom. The organization researched accessible online reading sites so that youth and mentors could continue their work together. By tapping into their partner organizations, like Accelerate4Kids, they are able to loan iPads to families who wouldn’t otherwise have access to necessary technology.

The results? Facebook and Instagram, where they post enrichment videos, have expanded their reach considerably. Meals are still available for pick-up at some sites and in other cases from partner organizations with more accessible locations. The Center for Success has retained almost all of their youth despite the move online. Staff reached out to teachers to get access to the homework assignments from partner schools and are supporting youth’s home learning. Parents who’ve listened in on mentoring sessions have gained tips that will help them work with their children. And youth are asking to attend more than just their regular literacy mentoring sessions, so the staff is working to give youth more access. Because staff hours are not completely utilized by virtual programming, the organization is supporting staff professional development through a variety of activities.

Taking stock of lessons learned, Andrea Meyer emphasized how important is has been to be continually looking at what’s working, and understanding safety, student voice, leadership—all things that feel innate now because of the Assess, Plan, Improve process Center for Success learned with through the Youth Development Resource Center. She sees opportunities to deepen some of the experiences they’ve created for youth. Andrea envisions the enrichment videos continuing once youth are able to return to onsite programming—but instead of staff creating these videos, she wants youth to take the lead. Youth and their mentors are growing seeds from seed kits that the Center for Success put together. This parallel project is an opportunity for learning and relationship building as youth and their mentors share the process. Andrea hopes to develop some additional projects that could take place throughout the year and help youth and mentors learn together through shared experience.

Perhaps one of the biggest aha! moment occurred around parent engagement. A clear interest in and need for parent workshops surfaced as a result of the online mentoring. Staff are already thinking about ways to provide resources and skills to parents so they feel confident in supporting their young readers at home.

And what about the funding? Andrea went to funders with a game plan for continuing to provide high-quality programming online. Funders worked with her to open up funding for organizational costs to support programs, and to extend the timeline for expending grant funds when the Center for Success received second round CARES Act PPP funds. Because they had a clear and compelling vision of how they were going to continue to serve their youth and families, the Center for Success was even able to engage two new funders.

To be sure, this has been a big lift for the organization. Throughout the process they’ve remained focused on their mission without overlooking the needs of staff. Melanie Wiggins, Lead Literacy Instructor, shared, “We’re doing so much but the message has always been ‘take care of yourself and your family first.’ There is a safe space among the staff to be open about where you’re at and what you’re feeling. To really be seen and heard and valued as staff? That’s been huge.”

Thinking about what’s next, Andrea noted, “There’s so much to learn from this, but we’re going to come back stronger. Yes, this is a hard thing, but we do the hard things so we can make sure we do the right thing for our families.”

What have been some takeaways from this experience?

Do what you know
Trust your staff and empower them to shape change alongside leadership
Going to funders with a plan makes it easier for them to say yes
Volunteers are committed to youth and will adapt to new tools
Listen to what youth and families really need—in some cases, this might mean backing off

Want to know more?

Center for Success unites literacy and community to empower students in the journey of education.

To learn more about Center for Success or to support their work through volunteering or donations, visit their website, and follow them on Facebook or Instagram.

Our thanks to Center for Success team members: Andrea Meyer, Executive Director, Anna Rosevear, Program Director, and Melanie Wiggins, Lead Literacy Instructor, for taking the time to share their experiences with us.

Blog

Motor City Street Dance Academy (MCSDA) November, 2021

This month we want to take the time to highlight Motor City Street Dance Academy (MCSDA). Founded in 2016, Motor City Street Dance Academy is dedicated to bringing hip hop culture to Southwest Detroit and mentoring youth from all around Detroit. We had the opportunity to connect with their Founder and Executive Director, Benito Vasquez about the creative transformations he is making in the city. You can read more about our short interview below:

What unique gap does your organization fill in the city of Detroit?

Motor City Street Dance Academy (MCSDA) provides programming through the lens of hip hop, arts, and mentorship. MCSDA also uses these different forms of art to assist their young people with finding unique career pathways.

What would you say has been your organization’s biggest challenges this year and how did you overcome them?

One of MCSDA’s biggest hurdles this year was filling up and creating an in-person experience in a virtual setting. MCSDA was able to overcome this challenge by providing in-person classes to their students as well as waiving fees for students who could not afford their program tuition.

What has been your organization’s moment of pride and how did you celebrate it?

This pandemic has allowed MSCDA to develop innovative programming as well as think of ways to streamline its process and procedures. Motor City Street Dance Academy has also been able to hire a team of talented staff.

What is one fun fact people may not know about you as a leader or about your program?

As busy as I am on the administrative, teaching, and business side; I travel to different cities and compete in dancing competitions almost every weekend.

Finally, are there any organizations you would like to connect with within the Detroit out-of-school time network, and why?

Any organization with youth interested in hip-hop and its elements – Breakin’, DJing, Aerosol Art, and Emceeing. We would also love to connect with organizations that have youth who are interested in anime and comic design.

As the new program year approaches, we want to make sure we take the time to highlight the impactful work that is taking place in Detroit. We are kicking off a new Provider Highlight Series by highlighting At Bat.

At Bat is an out-of-school program that uses the game of baseball and softball to teach young people in Metro Detroit the fundamentals of sports. We had the opportunity to talk with their Founder and Executive Director, Delrisha Hayes, about the impact her program is making on the city. You can read more about our short interview with her below:

What unique gap does your organization fill for the youth in the city of Detroit?
Youth participation in sports is oftentimes hampered by insufficient funds to cover costs of lessons, equipment, and/or even transportation, which is why we work in partnership with local communities and schools to provide affordable programming in communities where youth have least likely participated due to these factors. In addition, it is proven that participation in sports positively impacts a child’s physical and mental health while also providing lessons in self-discipline.

What would you say has been your organization’s biggest hurdle this year and how did you overcome that?
Our biggest hurdle was a decline in volunteerism for in-person programming, and we struggled with hiring part-time help for our summer in-person program. We found that most people are not ready to return to work and decide not to engage in volunteerism via in-person for a variety of different reasons and of course risk associated with it. However, we pushed through by communicating with our partners at Center 4 Success in Pontiac, informing them that we would have to reduce the amount of time we had scheduled to spend on-site, and did not take on any extra off-site opportunities with new potential partners.

What has been your organization’s moment of pride and how did you celebrate?

Receiving funding for the creation of our sporting kits from Dicks Sporting Good Sports Matters Foundation and Co-Act Detroit in 2021 is At Bat’s moment of pride. I say this because, leaving 2020 into the new year, I didn’t know if the organization would be able to survive. Funding opportunities were so scarce, especially for sporting organizations. Plus, I had pitched the sporting kits idea twice before I was able to secure funding, so it meant a lot to find someone who believed in the things the organization does. In addition to supporting our transition as we tried to create programming/activities that adapt to current conditions. I celebrated by just giving myself an extra day off to just relax. These sporting kits were given to our partners at Center 4 Success (Detroit and Pontiac).

What is one fun fact people may not know about you as a leader or about your program?
I started incorporating STEM education into programming when I first piloted my first after-school program at Voyager Academy in 2017.

Finally, are there any organizations you would like to connect with in the Detroit out of school time network and why?
The Detroit Parks and Recreation Department, I believe we could work together to create different programs that offer sport sampling, educational workshops and activities that focus on childhood obesity, and assist us with connecting with more youth, families, and community members.

Thank you At Bat for taking the time to share with us and for providing high quality programming for our Detroit area youth.