Weekly Media Roundup: November 4, 2020

Mighty Writers Awarded Longwood Grant, Chadds Ford Live (Pennsylvania)

When schools and programs closed due to the pandemic in March, the Mighty Writers afterschool program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania quickly stepped up to make sure the immediate needs of children and families were being met, “because you can't think clearly when you are hungry,” Director of Development Naomi Levecchia told Chadds Ford Live. The program distributes food, diapers, bilingual books and more to some 300 families per week and offers free online afterschool programming focused on creative writing and developing students’ voices. Mighty Writers was recently awarded a $75,000 grant from the Longwood Foundation of Chester County to continue and expand this work.

'A Big Impact': Kid City Moves to Align Curriculum with Dalton Public Schools, Cherokee Tribune & Ledger-News (Georgia)

Students in the Kid City afterschool program in Dalton, Georgia get help with homework, explore the sciences, develop their artistic abilities, take part in social and emotional learning activities and more. The program, which is funded by a 21^st Century Community Learning Centers grant, is working to closely align programming with students’ academic curricula this year. For example, fourth graders will take part in a NASA challenge in the program at the same time they are studying space at school. “I was a fan of the cooking (course last year), and all my friends are here so I can spend more time with them,” fourth grader Brianna Vidana told the Cherokee Tribune & Ledger-News. “Last year, I struggled with my reading, but not as much now. They helped me with my reading.”

How One of the World's Biggest STEM Programs is Still Teaching Students to Build Robots During One of the Most Uncertain School Years Ever, Business Insider

In FIRST afterschool programs, students learn about computer programming, collaboration, marketing and more as they work in teams to design and build robots to compete in challenges. During the pandemic, FIRST programs are finding creative ways to continue this mission while maintaining social distancing. For example, in Camdenton, Missouri, FIRST students brainstorm ideas over video chat, build individual robots at home, and then come together while wearing masks to run ‘missions’ with their robots in teams. “Technical skills are fairly easy to reproduce and teach,” Sherry Comer, afterschool services director for Camdenton R-III Schools and an Afterschool Ambassador for the Afterschool Alliance, told Business Insider. “But sometimes those skills of just being able to sit down with a group of people, come up with a common goal, and work toward that goal is really hard.”

Y Academy Programs Offer Academic Support, Child Care, Central Jersey (New Jersey)

From 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM each weekday, the YMCA of Greater Monmouth County’s Y Academy in Freehold Township, New Jersey is providing a safe, socially distanced environment for students to do remote learning, connect with friends and mentors, and more. In addition to academic support, the program includes mindfulness activities, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) challenges, and yoga. “These are tough times, but the Y Academy gives us some sense of normalcy,” parent Gary Eng told Central Jersey. “When she is at the Y Academy, [my daughter] Karina can log in to her school classes and she has academic support from the Y staff. She also gets to spend time outdoors and do other fun activities. Being with other children is psychologically good for her.”