|
Montgomery County
Community Action Agency
1401 Rockville Pike, 3rd Fl
Rockville, MD 20852
240-777-1697 (main)
240-777-3295 (fax)
Community Action Partner Spotlight: Academic Support Programs
Since 1965 the Community Action Agency (CAA) has served as home to the County's Head Start program, which partners with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to provide pre-kindergarten classes for children four years of age, as well as connecting participating families to social services and parenting support. Head Start program participants live in households with incomes at or below the federal poverty level. The CAA receives federal funding and MCPS is the delegate that provides 648 children with school readiness skills. Starting with the summer program, Head Start is now provided online. There are currently 34 MCPS Head Start classes.
Six of the CAA's contract partners also support academic achievement among children and adults. A contract with Family Services, Inc. (FSI) supports Thriving Germantown, which aims to boost the academic achievement of Col. James E. Daly Elementary School students by addressing participating families' social determinants of health, including housing, food, vision, primary care, and counseling needs. The contract monitored by the CAA supports FSI's role as a "hub" for participating health care and social service organizations, including data management and social services coordination. Thriving Germantown began in the 2017 - 2018 school year.
The Colesville Council of Community Congregations, better known as "C-4," serves East County families. In addition to distributing clothing, household linen and baby supplies year-round for over 30 years, C-4 also has a long history of providing school supplies to students in the area. This year was slightly different due the pandemic as recipients had to register to pick-up their backpacks with supplies adhering to the CDC’s recommendations of face masks and social distances.
Interfaith Works had their 2020 Annual School Supplies drive in August, setting a goal of 2,500 backpacks filled with school supplies. They used various social media platforms, including setting up an Amazon List so that donors could shop from home. Their Twinbrook office was also opened to receive donations. The backpacks were distributed to recipients at the office site. 1,400 have been given out and another set will be distributed in the second semester (January 2021).
The Benchmarks program of the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington Division of Youth and Family Services supports middle school students who live in the Rosemary Hills area of Silver Spring. Originally started by the CAA and the Silver Spring Team in 2001, the Benchmarks program has been run by the YMCA since 2007. Across several moves, the program has provided academic support through homework checks, tutors, and creative writing workshops, as well as engaging youth in service-learning opportunities, physical education, nutrition education, and more. Benchmarks is now in its fourth year at Silver Creek Middle School. Last spring, Benchmarks staff distributed Chromebooks and quickly transitioned to stay connected to students virtually.
The Community Reach of Montgomery County contract provides English language lessons to immigrant adults participating in the Naturalization Program, while their children receive age appropriate childcare or tutoring and homework assistance. The Language Outreach Program classes moved from the classroom to online in mid-March. Summer Classes took place online and all Fall classes are also being held virtually. The Fall schedule offers various times and days and is posted on the agency’s website. As it is easier for some students to attend virtual classes, it is expected this option will continue even when in-person classes resume, tentatively in Spring 2021. Although childcare is not provided virtually during class sessions, parents are encouraged to contact the program manager for one-on-one schoolwork assistance for their children, primarily held virtually.
The Literacy Council of Montgomery County's contract, now in its third year, supports an employer-based program to teach employees both English literacy and customer service. Participants receive their regular wages during class time, and employers benefit from their employees' enhanced skills and knowledge. The program began in local restaurants and has expanded include building contractors as well.
Community Action is grateful to the hard work our contract partners have devoted to supporting the academic achievements of our community's children and adults, particularly as they have found ways to support distance learning or transitioned to online programs.
Community Action's New Mission Statement
The Community Action Board's Executive Committee discussed the agency's mission statement at its September 8 meeting and suggested ways to adjust the statement to make it more representative of the agency’s and board’s work. CAA staff members reviewed the proposed changes, providing feedback and suggested edits. The full board then considered the proposed statements, making adjustments to the one that they felt best represented the agency and the board's ongoing efforts to reduce poverty.
New mission statement approved by the Community Action Board on September 22:
The mission of the Montgomery County Community Action Agency is to advance social and economic mobility among communities and neighbors through services, partnerships, and advocacy using an equity lens.
Sept. 30, 11 am: Nonprofit Montgomery Virtual COVID-19 Response Meeting
Sept. 30, 12 pm: Virtual Community Meeting for the Corridor Forward I-270 Transit Plan
Oct. 1, 6 pm: Virtual Fall Forum on Mental Health and Recovery
Oct. 15, 7 pm: Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence for our Virtual Accountability Forum
Oct. 27, 6 pm: Virtual Community Action Board Meeting - Call 240-777-1697 to request meeting login information
Nov. 5, 12 , and 19, 1 pm: Montgomery Moving Forward's Virtual Symposium
|
