CLJ’s Adventures in the City (AIC) Freedom School has gone VIRTUAL! After four years of providing a dynamic in-person multi-cultural literacy curriculum to scholars in grades k-3 (and 39 years of providing a summer program), COVID-19 has forced AIC Freedom school to go online.
Tieasha Gayle, Program Director, and her team of five new student leader interns (SLIs) and a Scholar Support Coordinator, have worked diligently to adapt to the new format. Scholars gather virtually from 10 to 10:30am for Freedom School’s signature Harambee cheers and chants. At 11am, SLIs lead groups of scholars in Freedom School’s proven integrative reading curriculum. Consistently, over 95% of our scholars either maintain or gain in reading levels; whereas, similar children in high-poverty neighborhoods lose on average 3-4 months of reading during the summer.
So, what about Freedom School’s field trips and enrichments? The Freedom School team hold weekly “Run Me My Book Bag Thursdays” where families stop by CLJ to pick up packages that include grade-specific activity kits, books needed for the week, snacks, and other supplies. Guardians are encouraged to spend 12:30-1:00pm with the scholars engaging in the planned activities or going on suggested virtual field trips around the world. The Scholar Support Coordinator will drop of the packages to families that cannot make it to the office.
AIC Freedom School has also collaborated with the Community Renewal Team (CRT) to provide breakfast and lunch to families on Mondays and Wednesdays.
At the start of 2020, no one expected Freedom School to go virtual, but what in 2020 was expected? However, our Freedom School team has responded to the challenge with tenacity, flexibility and ingenuity. The team is still working with families to assess and navigate access to internet, requisite technology and technical capabilities. We have not hit smooth sailing just yet, so we greatly appreciate your continued support and prayers.
