Weekly Media Roundup: February 10, 2021

A New Mural Was Created By Children And Artist At Reddick Elementary School In Wimauma, Osprey Observer (Florida)

Students from migrant families in the Good Afternoon Friends and Amigos afterschool program in Wimauma, Florida spent four weeks creating a mural promoting kindness at a nearby elementary school. The project was a collaboration with Winthrop Arts Mobile Art Factory. Good Afternoon Friends and Amigos focuses on academic support for children in kindergarten through third grade, as well as social and emotional learning through activities including yoga and mindfulness. Describing the mural, Winthrop Arts Mobile Art Factory Lead Instructor Bryant Martinez told the Osprey Observer, “I wanted to incorporate casitas for the community and hearts for love. The name ‘Bee Kind’ was a natural one and is a part of what Mary [Torres, who leads the program] teaches the children in the program.”

Outdoor learning pavilion to be constructed in Portsmouth, Newport Daily News (Rhode Island)

Thanks to a grant from National Grid Rhode Island, the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District plans to build an outdoor learning pavilion where students will cultivate their agricultural and problem-solving skills. STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) classes and afterschool programs will be held in the outdoor classroom on the Portsmouth AgInnovation Farm, a five-acre volunteer-run farm for Portsmouth Middle School students. “National Grid is delighted to partner with the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District in this novel project. Not only will it help teach students the importance of the state’s clean energy future on Aquidneck Island, but it reflects our commitment to educating more students about the STEAM fields,” Terry Sobolewski, president of National Grid Rhode Island, told the Newport Daily News.

Colorado’s child abuse hotline received 26,000 fewer calls last year as pandemic kept kids from schools, child care, Denver Post (Colorado)

Colorado’s child abuse and neglect hotline (844-CO-4-Kids) received 26,000 fewer calls in 2020, a 13% drop from the previous year. “The decline doesn’t mean the kids are safe, the decline means that kids aren’t getting out of unsafe situations,” Gina Maione Earles, executive director of Blue Sky Bridge, a nonprofit child advocacy center, told the Denver Post. The Colorado Experts attribute the decrease in calls to the closures of schools, afterschool programs and day care facilities during the pandemic. Teachers and staff workers are vital observers who report possible cases of neglect and abuse. In 2020, the hotline received 30% fewer calls from education professionals.

What do you do when schools shut down their after-school programs? City of Greensboro has an answer, FOX 8 (North Carolina)

While the Guilford County Schools district reopened its schools, its afterschool program ACES remain closed due to concerns over children interacting with other grade levels and the need for deep cleaning the schools each evening. The City of Greensboro quickly answered the call to provide afterschool programs to those in need. “We went through training. We made sure we have extra staff and extra cleaning policies, and making sure the parks and recreation staff feels safe doing this,” Kristen Herndon, Greensboro Parks and Recreation facilities and aquatics director, told FOX 8. “I think it’s giving parents, kids and our staff a little bit of a sense of normalcy. We’ve missed them as much as they’ve missed us. I think it’s helping to give parents a chance to work, and if not work, just give them that mental and physical break they need, and we’re glad to be able to provide this for them.”