Weekly Media Roundup: April 29, 2020

YMCA to Finish '7 Habits of Happy Kids' Series Via Video, The Sentinel-Record (Arkansas)

This year, the Hot Springs Family YMCA Successful Children Out-of-School Recreation and Education (S.C.O.R.E.) afterschool program in Arkansas has facilitated a social-emotional learning series titled ‘7 Habits of Happy Kids’ to help students develop positive character traits. Since in-person programming was suspended due to coronavirus, the program has continued this series through online videos.  The video “shows the community we are committed to helping to develop the character development of our youth. The youth is our future, and we want to make a positive impact on their lives,” Program Director Jennifer Moore told the Sentinel-Record.

YWCA Pasadena To Kick Off After-School Programs Online With High-Altitude Balloon Launch, Pasadena Independent (California)

The YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley Girls Empowerment After-School Program is partnering with Magnitude.io to bring science and technology enrichment to its students online, while in-person programming is suspended due to coronavirus. On May 1, the program will launch a high-altitude balloon that has the potential to travel around the globe. Girls in the program will track the balloon’s movements and scientific measurements from their homes while chatting with engineers via Zoom about the balloon’s progress. The program is already meeting online each Monday through Thursday for homework help, discussion groups and more. “We’re really excited to continue to be a safe place for girls to explore the STEAM [science, technology, engineering, arts and math] disciplines, while receiving the emotional and educational support that they need right now,” Jomie Liu, program manager, told the Pasadena Independent. 

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston’s Family Wellness Check-In Program Provides Valuable Information About Club Families During COVID-19 Health Crisis, Houston Style Magazine (Texas)

Since suspending in-person programming in mid-March, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston (BGCH) has contacted 5,241 families to check in about their needs during the pandemic. These calls have informed BGCH’s efforts to develop new programs including drive-through food pantries, a virtual afterschool program and more. “We have a responsibility and a commitment to our more than 26,000 kids, teens, families, and staff to ensure that basic needs are met over the coming weeks and beyond,” President and CEO Kevin Hattery told Houston Style Magazine.

Inside a Childcare Program for Essential Workers, Addison County Independent (Vermont)

In the Mount Abraham Unified School District (MAUSD) Essential Persons’ Childcare program in Bristol, Vermont, children are landscaping, drawing, flying drones, cooking, making and flying kites, dancing, building bird feeders and benches, and more. The program is facilitated by the MAUSD Expanded Learning Program to provide a safe, enriching environment for children of essential workers during the pandemic. Strict health precautions are in place, including daily screenings by nurses and keeping students six feet apart. “I’m incredibly thankful for the people who are here using their talents and skills to make a really scary time for these kids feel safe and fun and joyful,” teacher-leader Jennifer Gordon told the Addison County Independent.