Middleton Youth Center 2018 Informational Meeting

Program Focus Developing strong relationships between staff and students Social-emotional learning through conversations and engaging students in behavior management Academic support including tutoring and communication with teachers and parents Hands-on enrichment activities to expose students to new experiences and develop new skills

Location: Clark Street Community School Operations Location: Clark Street Community School After School: Open 180 days: 3:45-6pm Snack, 2-3 enrichment activities or a field trip + homework room every day Summer: Open 34 days: 11:15am-5:30pm Daily Bus Route MCPASD Lunch and Enrichment Snack, 3-4 enrichment activities or a field trip offered every day, & a weekly visit to the WBAC Annual special events: Spring Showcase Overnight Lock-in End-of Summer Camping Trip

Youth Center Staff Director (Gabrielle) Assistant Director (John) 30 hours/week Assistant Director (John) 25 hours/week PASS AmeriCorps Full-time Member (Haley) 33 hours/week 8-10 hours/week: school-day literacy tutoring PASS AmeriCorps Summer Member (Solinna) 33 hours/week for 9-week summer program Part-time Youth Worker (Danielle) 8-10 hours/week during the school year Intern, UW MSW Program (Solinna) 16 hours/week during the school year Unpaid, receives field study credit

Participation History Average daily attendance has steadily increased since the Youth Center’s reopening in 2014 Average daily attendance rates: 2014: 16 students/day 2015: 29 students/day 2016: 30 students/day 2017: 39 students/day 2018 so far: 45 students/day In 2018, attendance reached 50 students or more on 1/3rd of the days

Participant Demographics Based on the Dane County quarterly report January 1st-March 31st, 2018 In Q1, 119 unique students visited the Youth Center 44% of students (52 students) attended 20 or more days of programming and 28 students attended 40 or more days Of the students who attended the Youth Center 40 or more days during Q1: 68% were students of color 75% of those who self-reported their family’s income were low-income 29% didn’t answer the income question

Special Education Participation Data from July 2017-January 2018 YC enrollment forms give parent consent for staff to access MCPASD behavioral and special education records New partnership with SPARK to offer Camp BUILD this summer: A 3-week entrepreneurship camp friendly to students with cognitive special needs Type of IEP/504 Total Number Regular Attendance 504 1 Academic IEP 7 3 Behavior IEP 4 Speech IEP 8 6 Health IEP 9 Autism 5 2 TOTAL 37 18

Youth Center Funding Sources City of Middleton: ~$47,000 Funds what is left after other funding sources are applied to meet the Youth Center’s operating expenses Dane County Human Services: $9,012 (funds approx. 20 Youth Centers, all at the same rate) MCPASD: $23,250 Focus on equity and the opportunity gap Lump sum contribution of $18,500 for 2015-2019 school years Additional 50% match for the full-time PASS AmeriCorps positions: $4,750 AmeriCorps PASS Program Cash match program: AmeriCorps covers about 50% of the total cost 1 Full-time member (1700 hours) and 1 Summer member (300 hours) Member service includes 1:1 school-day literacy tutoring for 5 students reading below grade-level and staffing the free summer lunch program Grants: Typically 1-2 small grants per year: $585 Girls Inc. Grant Donations: Middleton Kiwanis + Optimists + YC families: $5,645

New Program Model: Fall 2018 Question: As the Youth Center grows, how can we continue to offer high-quality programming, accountability, restorative behavior management, and meaningful relationships between students and staff?

New Program Model: Fall 2018 Staff and Community Input 6-week survey and discussion period with Youth Center and school staff, parents, and students Proposed ideas included: 1:1 mentoring, mini-courses, and expanded study hall options Results: 45 surveys completed, mainly by parents/guardians Many additional 1:1 conversations with students Surveys were 60% positive, 20% neutral, 20% negative Most students really liked the mentoring idea and many were excited about new mini-course options Top positive response: More structured model and mentoring Top concern: How to maintain flexible scheduling

New Program Model: Fall 2018 Goals of the New Model The final plan is a hybrid model that will maintain flexibility while also deepening the program through mentoring and mini-course options. Goals of the New Program Model: Keep students connected with and supported by staff even with increasing attendance numbers Increase accountability and follow-up with students about their goals, behavior, and academics Develop leadership and ownership of the program by Youth Center students Support Youth Center graduates and grow a more diverse staff team Deepen enrichment programming and bring in more outside partnerships

New Program Model: Fall 2018 Areas of Action Mentoring: Focused on students who attend the Youth Center 3 days/week or more (approx. 50 total students) Each staff member will designate one day/week for 1:1 check-ins with their students and will not lead an activity that day Mentor meetings will focus on goal-setting, behavior planning, academic accountability, parent engagement, trauma-informed care, etc. Staff will also co-develop new mini-courses with their mentees Mini-Courses: 1 mini-course per day will replace 1 drop-in activity 1 drop in activity per day will remain Mini-courses are month-long activities that will run 1x/week Allows for longer-term projects, skill building, and better program planning Ex: Advanced/beginner field hockey, photography, swimming lessons, spoken word poetry, international cooking, etc.

New Program Model: Fall 2018 Areas of Action Study Hall: New rooms designated for quiet studying, group study, and tutoring support High School Job Training/Paid Internship: This program will target high school students who are Youth Center graduates 1-2 high school students will be selected to work a total of 8 hours/week during the school year (either one student, two evenings per week or two students, each one evening per week) and will be paid $9/hour Interns will be responsible for leading or co-leading one program per day. Interns will receive professional development, mentoring, and support from Youth Center staff to build their skills. This new program is part of a larger goal to provide more support for Youth Center students beyond 8th grade and to “grow our own” diverse staff team.

The Youth Center’s goal ratio is 1 staff: 10 students Enrollment Waitlists The Youth Center’s goal ratio is 1 staff: 10 students 2018 Summer Waitlist: With 4 staff, the attendance goal was no more than 45 students/day The waitlist began the first week of summer (attendance was over 60 per day) All 10 students on the waitlist were offered enrollment during the 5th week of the summer, when enrollment averages had dropped sufficiently 2018-2019 School Year Waitlist: With 5 staff, the attendance goal is no more than 55 students/day Last fall we averaged 50/day, so there is space for a small amount of growth Next week, enrolled families will be contacted to confirm school year participation and the approximate number of days/week New students will be placed on a waitlist and families will be contacted on a first-come-first-served basis if/when spaces open up

Thank you for your support! Questions? Comments?