Programs and Services for Children and Teens
After- School Enrichment
After-school enrichment provides children in the 1st through 6th grades individual tutoring, academic support and homework assistance Monday through Friday, from 2:30-5:30 p.m. Volunteers from Goucher College, Johns Hopkins University and Towson University provide a minimum of four hours of individual tutoring to students per week. Reading and writing are emphasized and encouraged through various means. For example students have the potential to post their original stories and poems on the Hampden Family Center Writers blog.
The After School Enrichment Program also focuses on strengthening and improving math skills through tutoring efforts and applied learning and enrichment activities. Many of the activities include math skill components that reinforce concepts learned in the classroom.
Enrichment activities in the area of art and crafts, music, dance and drama are major components to the program and provide the children with experiences they would not otherwise have.
Study Buddy
This program offers one-on-one tutoring for elementary, middle and high school students. Hampden Family Center, in partnership with Johns Hopkins University Center for Social Concern, matches youth with student volunteers for one-on-one tutoring. This program is free and meets Monday and Wednesday 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Wyman Park Tutorial
Wyman Park Tutorial provides tutoring and specifically remedial reading, math and writing to children and youth in 1st to 12th grades. Parents enroll their children to receive support while others are referred by area teachers and local administrators. Offered Monday through Friday from 4:00-5:30 p.m., the program currently has 15 students enrolled.
Youthlight Photography Project
For students who enjoy the opportunity to learn the art of photography; using the camera as means of artistic expression. Students learn the art and technique of “shooting” an image, processing film and developing prints. Classes meet Monday and Wednesday 3:00-6:00 p.m. Notably, in 2007, Youthlight Photography received the prestigious President’s Coming Up Taller Award, a national award for outstanding after-school arts programming awarded to only 15 programs each year.
Summer Enrichment Camp
For children in the community who would benefit in participating in a busy, exciting and educational program that is designed to encourage personal growth, increase individual self-esteem, improve interpersonal and social skills, and foster a sense of family and community. The Camp also reinforces academic skills by incorporating reading, writing and math into daily activities; reading stories aloud, writing individual plays, and playing board games that address mathematical concepts and problem solving. Children participate in daily swimming and recreational activities at the Roosevelt Recreation Center. Field trips to the Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, National Aquarium, Maryland Science Center, Walters Art Museum and Oregon Ridge Park provide children the opportunity to visit area landmarks and cultural institutions throughout the Baltimore metropolitan area.
MotherRead
This literacy program launched in May 2009. The program is designed for parents and children to learn to use the power of language to discover more about themselves, their families and their communities (learn more at www.motheread.org). It is a remedial and support program for young mothers and is appropriate for all, regardless of reading ability or prior educational experience. MotherRead encourages parents to be reading role models for their children by training parents as story readers, writers, and tellers. The program teaches the ‘why’ of reading rather than just emphasizing the 'how' of reading. For children, the program provides a structured environment for learning to read, thinking critically and developing problem solving skills.
Youth Voice
This program, created in an effort to attract youth too old for after school and summer programming and too young for adult programs, utilizes a recording studio built and housed by the Family Center. Youth Voice offers youth the opportunity to compose and record their own creations using Pro-Tools, a computer production program. Pro-Tools allows students to layer tracks and create original music. In addition, there is the opportunity to expand to keyboard, drum and guitar lessons. A Towson University music major facilitates this program. Youth Voice meets Monday afternoon from 3:30-5:30 p.m.