I have been studying The Harlem Children's Zone website. To explore further, I chose the link to The Promise Academy Charter Schools (http://www.hcz.org/programs/promise-academy-charter-schools). These charter schools were formed with The Harlem Children's Zone to provide a more positive and well-rounded school experience for the children in Harlem. It is staffed with caring teachers, holds high expectations for the students and most importantly, provided a safe environment. They don't just stick to a normal school schedule. They offer classes after school hours to provide a place for the children to stay safe and use their energy in the best way possible. They have also opened a clinic in the academy to offer students a place to receive free medical, dental and mental-health services. What I found so interesting is that they have created a culture of learning and trust in this school to the point that many of the students spend over 10 hours a day there. They have truly created a place for these children to grow and feel secure.
Unfortunately, going along with what we have been learning this week, there is a degree of inequity. As the Harlem Children's Zone would like to help all children, especially in early childhood education, they cannot provide this resource for free for everyone. To remedy this, they hold a lottery. This is the best way they have found to handle who can attend the charter school. It is so unfortunate to see such a quality program that is tailored to bettering the lives of these students and still, only a few are able to take part.
They do however also run a pre-kindergarten program named The Harlem Gems. What is so awesome about this program is that it is an all-day program with a 4:1 adult to child ratio. They teach English, Spanisha nd French and service 200 children at a time (HCZ.org, 2012).
References:
Harlem Children's Zone (2012). Retrieved from: http://www.hcz.org/programs/early-childhood
The Promise Academy Charter Schools (2012). Retrieved from: http://www.hcz.org/programs/promise-academy-charter-schools
Wonderful post! Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteThe open clinic is such a wonderful option for students! But, the inequity of only offering a select few is quiet disheartening. As you said, it is sad that such a quality program is only offered to a few, when in reality, ALL students would benefit greatly from this program!
Well I do like that they are able to provide healthcare for the students because that is a big and expensive issue in today's society. I really dislike the fact that they hold a lottery in order to determine who can attend their charter school. I could not imagine having to depend on the luck of a number to get a quality education.
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot from reading your post; it is sad that Harlem does not have the resources to provide a free education to all students. I see that this is world-wide when it comes to lack of resources for our children.
Hi Rachel
ReplyDeleteThe information that you provided in this post sheds light on the great work that the Harlem Children's Zone is doing for their community. I kind of like the idea of the lottery system that they have in place because it would not be fair for a child to be denied because of an uncontrollable circumstance.
Hey Rachel,
ReplyDeleteEach week you give informative information about the Harlem Children's Zone. The lottery of who attends one of there program, actually has a upside and a downside. The children who get a chance to enter the program have an opportunity to excel in areas of learning and development, but the children who do not get in are left behind.