Cambridge Community Center - MA - Cam

The Cambridge Community Center uses innovative and highly effective out-of-school time programming to serve as a bridge for learners moving from childhood to adulthood. We do this by offering to every child and young adult culturally enriching and inclusive opportunities to contribute to their own educational and personal development. The programs and culture of the Cambridge Community Center build a cycle of interdependence where each student acts as a key collaborator in developing into a healthy, inspired, compassionate, capable and successful citizen of the world.

Description:
Out-Of-School Time Program (OOST):
The Cambridge Community Center's Out-Of-School Time Program (OOST) offers a structured after school experience for youngsters aged 4.5 to 13 years old. Each child in the program receives one-on-one literacy tutoring at least twice weekly. Tutoring is conducted by 30-40 volunteer tutors through M.I.T.'s AmericaReads Project, which trains and supervises them. The project evaluates every child's ability to read and all of the children are placed with a tutor who will work with them for the school year.
The literacy tutors are trained in elementary school age reading tutoring skills and age appropriate books and supplies are made available to them. We are very excited about this program because our children have demonstrated an interest and improvement in their reading skills.
Other educational activities offered to the children include science classes: Explore It! in collaboration with the Children's Museum for children 4 1/2 - 7, Science Explores in collaboration with M.I.T. graduate students for children 8 - 9, and Dream In Science a pilot program sponsored by the United Way for children 10 - 13 (the children visit professional science labs at W.R. Grace, M.I.T and Genzyme); computer lab (we work the Cambridge Police Department to inform kids of the dangers of the Internet)and web-site design; video production and editing; Math In New Dimensions (MIND) Program developed and implemented by students from Wellesley College, Harvard University, and M.I.T. Also,the Young People's Project and Summer Bridge work with the children on their math skills. Homework assistance is provided by volunteer students from Buckingham, Brown and Nichols and Cambridge Rindge and Latin Schools.
Because we believe a well-rounded education includes the arts, we offer dance, dulcimer, recorder, guitar & piano lessons. Monthly music concerts by Artists of Color through the Brattle Street Adult Education Out Reach Program. Additionally, the children also receive music, costuming and mask making workshops while learning about opera. These workshops are followed by an opera performance by the Boston Lyric Opera.
Other program activities include:The Spark Program which has focus on gender equality specifically in sports; the Heat Club fitness and nutrition program; roller blading, volley ball and basketball, ice skating on Frog Pond at the Boston Commons. Field trips are made to the Museum of Fine Arts, Children's Museum and Museum of Science. The OOST Program operates Monday-Friday, 2:00-6:00PM, and is open full days 7:30AM to 5:30 PM during school vacation weeks. Free of charge, the children receive nutritious snacks, breakfast and lunch. The program has a staff ratio of one to thirteen with additional staff for dance, Inline skating, sports and workshops.
Because of the multicultural composition of the children who participate in the programs provided by the Cambridge Community Center, there are many opportunities for the children and the staff to discover and appreciate the differences.

Out-Of-School Time Computer Lab:

The Cambridge Community Center has a multi user computer lab on site offering a variety of classes and opportunities for its Out-Of-School Time Program. The programs that are offered are: Web site building, graphic and digital photograph manipulation/editing, video and sound editing, current and past Internet topic research via the internet, interactive learning using educational software (Chess games, Mathematics and English tutorials, Foreign language tutorials, hand/eye coordination games), and computer animation creation.
All of the programs help students advance their knowledge of computer technology as well as foster a life long commitment to learning. Computer Lab activities are offered to the children throughout the year.

According to an article by the Associated Press written by Ben Feller on October 29, 2003, 'About 90 percent of people ages 5 to 17 use computers and 59 percent of them use the Internet.' His article goes on to say that 'Even kindergartners are becoming more plugged in: One out of four 5-year olds uses the Internet...' The figures come from a new Education Department analysis of computer and Internet use by children and adolescents in 2001. A second report from the agency, based on 2002 data, shows 99 percent of public schools have Internet access, up from 35 percent eight years ago. 'Children are often the first adopters of a lot of technology'' said John Bailey, who oversees educational technology for the department. 'They grow up with it. They don't have to adapt to it... Students, by and large, are dominating the Internet population.

By the time they're 10 years old, 60 percent of children use the Internet. That number grows to almost 80 percent for kids who are 16... and, like adults, young people are going online for a range of reasons, the research shows. Almost three in four uses the Internet for help with school assignments, while more than half use it for writing e-mail, sending instant messages to friends or playing games. Girls, who not long ago used computers and the Internet at lower rates than boys, have essentially eliminated that difference, the research says. But there are other notable gaps...Almost two-thirds of young white people use the Internet, but less than half of black people ages 5 to 17 do, and slightly more than a third of Hispanic young people log on. Part of the reason is access - 80 percent of black students use computers at school, for example, but only 41 percent do so at home, according to the 2001 report...'

Cowemoki Summer Enrichment Program:
Cowemoki Summer Enrichment Program has a structured day that provides the following
activities: computer classes, environmental studies, sailing and boating lessons on the Charles River, swimming lessons, arts & crafts, hobby hour, multicultural activities (with weekly ethnic exchange cookouts), New Games, soccer and other sports, participation in Cambridge Youth Games, gardening and dance. On the last day of the summer program the children perform a dance 'finale' for their parents and friends.
The children participate in workshops for multicultural awareness, health, nutrition, conflict resolution and etiquette. The street etiquette and safety workshops take children out to the streets to teach them to stay to the right when walking on the side walks in groups (respect for other pedestrians) and the importance of crossing at corners, looking all ways of traffic and obeying crossing light signals. Community education includes visits to the local police and fire stations and universities. A crucial part of the summer program is the summer literacy and math tutoring activities for the students that are at risk of failing in school.
Field trips include: the Museum of Fine Arts, Children's Museum. USS Constitution, the National Center for Afro American Artists, Museum of Afro American History, Aquarium, Butterfly Museum and the Science Museum.
We also offer special activities for our 13-year-old youth. They attend workshops in hygiene, nutrition, etiquette, stay-in-school, sex education, date abuse, not-to-smoke, alcohol and drug prevention. Because, at the age of 13, they are not employable until the age of 14, they attend workshops on how to complete employment applications, the proper dress and mock employment interview through role-playing. Field trips include local organizations and minority owned businesses such as Stull & Lee Associates, to give them an idea of career choices; they are also made aware of resources available to them.
The Cowemoki Summer Enrichment Program is in operation from the end of June through the end of August each year.
Program goals of the Out-Of-School Time and Cowemoki Programs are to provide structured programs that offer a variety of quality affordable and positive educational, recreational and social services at a fee working poor families can afford. To that end, approximately 95% of the children who attend the Center receive some form of subsidy. Those families who do not have state subsidies are subsidized by the Center with funds from donations. On an average, parents pay weekly fees of $10.50 for a service that costs the Center $103.00 a week. Both programs are licensed for 104 children ages of 4.5 to 13 years.
The Center continues to make a difference in the community because we lessen the number of unsupervised children on the streets who would be prey to violence and unsavory characters. Our multicultural activities continue to improve race relations and reinforce respect for each other and one's self. All of our activities give the children reference points to choose positive directions in life, which leads to successful and useful citizens.

Measurable Outcomes for the Out-Of-School Time Program
and Computer Lab:

· Children improve reading, math and science skills with assistance of the tutors

· Children express an interest in reading, math and science and no longer protest having to spend time with these subjects

· Children demonstrate modified and more positive behaviors by participating in structured conflict resolution workshops that will teach children to solve problems without violence

· Children communicate positively to express themselves, and praise each other's positive behavior

· Through their participation in career workshops children are more aware of educational and career opportunities

· Children display an interest in the subject material and ask questions regarding career and educational opportunities

· Children interact and demonstrate interest in computer lab activities by exploring the cyber environment and Internet with enthusiasm and ask questions about their projects, research, puzzles and other activities.

· With the 21st Century, children are pre and post assessed, using the SAYO tool

The Target Population
The Riverside neighborhood is the oldest African-American community in Cambridge. The neighborhood consists of families who have been here for generations and recent immigrant families who add to the multi-cultural presence of the neighborhood, as well as students who attend nearby Harvard University. Almost one quarter of the households in this area speak a language other than English.
The children of the Cambridge Community Center reflect this diversity, for example, they come from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Jamaica, China, Japan, Barbados, Haiti, Honduras, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, as well as, African American and White.

Evidence of Programs Needed at the Cambridge Community Center

The Cambridge Community Center has been an integral part of the Riverside neighborhood and all of Cambridge for seventy-seven years. Because of the Center, the youth and families of Cambridge have been able to participate in programs and services that have a positive impacted their daily lives and the communities in which they live.
By being an integral part of the Cambridge, the Center has consistently responded to the needs of Cambridge residents. There have been families that have lived in the Riverside neighborhood for generations and families that are, not only new to the area but, new to the country. In the Out-Of-School Time Program, children whose families come from many different countries are represented; and come from homes where English is not the language spoken.
Because of its ability to provide a place where these multi-cultural families and children can meet, the Cambridge Community Center continues to be a place of teaching and learning, on many levels. The doors to the Center are open to welcome all members of Cambridge. The Center has dedicated itself to the needs of those who live in and around it. More than 95% of the children who use our services live in families that are classified as working poor. If the Center did not provide the services that it does at affordable fees, the children would become 'latch key' children being left at home alone to their own devices with no adult supervision, and they would be susceptible to gang recruitment, drugs, and violence.
The positive impact that the Center has had on the lives of the youth and the families is evidenced in many ways. Because of its long-germ commitment and relationship to the residents of Cambridge, it has been a witness to children growing into responsible young men and women. The cohesiveness of people and Center is evidenced in what we have witnessed in our youth from the cradle to college. Today, we have several 5th, 4th, and 3rd generations of children attending the Center.

Other Cambridge Community Center Programs:

Mothers and Caregivers of Infants and Toddlers

During the school year, Monday - Friday mothers and caregivers with infants and toddlers drop in for a discussion and support group. The toddlers become socialized and play together while the caregivers; fathers and mothers discuss issues related to parenting. The program benefits the children by providing a safe, nurturing environment and the parents by providing an opportunity to speak with licensed professionals and others who share their same experiences. The program has as many as thirty-five toddlers in play and social activities weekly. There is no charge for this service.

Teen Drop-In Center

The Center is open in the evening, free of charge, for teenagers fourteen through nineteen years of age. The Drop-In Center is unstructured with supervision, allowing teens to have full use of the building including the gym, TV, and common rooms and the computer lab; as many as 35 - 50 teens drop in per night. The teens engage in activities of their own choosing such as, homework, basketball, volleyball, watching TV and listening to music.

Adult Evening Activities

The Cambridge Community Center offers activities in the evening for adults. These activities are developed as the result of requests and interest from the community. Basketball in the gymnasium; dance and exercise classes; and cooking classes are among the offering. The members are charged a minimal fee to cover the cost of the instructor and the overhead. Evening activities are offered in fall and spring sessions.

History:
For over 80 years the Cambridge Community Center has been an integral part of the Cambridge community. A group of black ministers who were concerned about the health and welfare of the children in the Riverside neighborhood of Cambridge founded the Center in 1928. In 1929 the abandoned Tarbell School was purchased from the City of Cambridge for $1,000 as the Center's original site. Since its incorporation in 1929, the Center has maintained quality services reflective of the community's needs. To the children, the teenagers, and the people of the neighborhood, the Center has meant many things. It has offered a chance to be with friends, to make music, to play basketball, to try one's hand at crafts, to learn leadership skills and to discuss community issues. It has been a place where individuals and families count. By offering a wide range of social, educational and recreational activities to people of all ages and backgrounds, the Center reaffirms its dedication to community service which began with its founding as a community meeting house in 1929.

Contact person: Yvonne Gittens, Executive Director, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (617) 864-0692

Address:

5 Callender Street Cambridge, MA 02139 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.cambridgecommunitycenter.org

Directions:

Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Central Sq. Redline,   Walk distance (in minutes): 10   Nearest Bus Stop: 70 or 70A, 10 minute walk For maps or information, please see http://www.mbta.com

Last updated on April 21, 2009