Seats Open In Church Learning Hubs

Seats are open for New Haven Public Schools students in seven new learning hubs in Newhallville, Dixwell and Fair Haven.

The new locations are Bethel A.M.E. Church, Beula Heights First Pentacostal Church, Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church, Iglesia Cristiana Estrella Resplandeciente de Jacob (Radiant Star of Jacob Church), Iglesia Para La Ciudad (Church for the City), New Hope Baptist Church, and Varick Memorial AME Zion Church. Four of the seven churches won approval last week from city zoners to operate the hubs.

The new hubs are open to New Haven-based NHPS students between kindergarten and ninth grade. The New Haven YMCA Youth Center will run the programs and the family mental health nonprofit Clifford Beers will handle the applications. Families can apply here.

“We knew once the pandemic hit that children in marginalized communities would be affected much worse by this pandemic than privileged children are, and many students don’t live in an environment conducive for excellence, whether it be a lack of a high-speed internet connection or technology capabilities. We knew we wanted to help,” Christian Tabernacle Church Pastor Keith King said in a press release about the new locations.

Nonprofits and churches have stepped in since September to provide students with internet and a safe, quiet place to take virtual classes, as New Haven Public Schools has remained remote-only. The city stood up their own version of the program in parks department buildings in October but shut it down later as Covid-19 cases peaked again.

One of the early nonprofits to create a learning hub was Hill-based Boys & Girls Club of New Haven. According to the club’s Interim Executive Director Barbara Chesler in the press release, the hub has not had any cases of Covid-19 among its students or staff since it began in September.

Jobs are also open at this website to help staff the learning hubs and here to fill openings at the Boys & Girls Club.

Read the full press release below.

Learning Hubs Available For Enrollment

Through community collaboration, resources for children in the New Haven Public School system continue to grow amidst the pandemic.

Learning Hubs locations affiliated with the New Haven Learning Hubs Collective are expanding to add seven more locations beginning on January 4, 2021. The programs will be run by the New Haven YMCA Youth Center in space generously donated by Bethel A.M.E. Church, Beula Heights First Pentacostal Church, Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church, Iglesia Cristiana Estrella Resplandeciente de Jacob (Radiant Star of Jacob Church), Iglesia Para La Ciudad (Church for the City), New Hope Baptist Church, and Varick Memorial AME Zion Church.

The Learning Hubs are safe spaces for children to go during the school day for supervised distance learning with high-speed internet access, social support, and enrichment, in a small cohort of children. They are located in low-income neighborhoods, in order to be accessible to families most in need of support. Children eligible to attend a Learning Hub must be New Haven residents in Kindergarten through 9th grades, registered for the New Haven Public Schools, and demonstrate high need such as not having internet at home or living in a low-income household. This program is completely free for children and families.

Parents and caregivers who are interested in a spot for their children can apply here. The website and application are available in English and Spanish.

The New Haven Learning Hubs Collective is a citywide, grassroots, volunteer-driven network to support New Haven children, youth, and families experiencing educational inequities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the new locations identified above, four Learning Hubs are operated by the Boys and Girls Club of New Haven, ConnCAT, First Calvary Baptist Church, and the New Haven YMCA Youth Center. Clifford Beers, a non-profit providing mental and behavioral health services to children and families, serves as the Collective’s administrative coordinator and fiscal agent.

The Boys & Girls Club of New Haven opened its Learning Hub in The Hill neighborhood in September. The Club averages 48 students daily, and is exploring expansion to a new space that would accommodate 14 more seats. Barbara Chesler, Interim Executive Director of the Club, explains that, ​”the Learning Hubs gives kids a sense of belonging so they’re not out there on their own. We have a gym so kids can run around, and being able to safely come in contact with other children and adults is critical for kids’ ability to release some stress and feel like they belong somewhere.” 

She adds that ​“we are proud to say we have had zero cases of COVID-19 amongst our children or staff.” Daily temperature checks and potential exposure questions are required for entry,

and the building is only occupied by children and staff. ​“We’re taking very, very conservative health and safety precautions. We are taking the health and safety of our children extremely seriously. We want to keep these locations open so kids have a place to go when everything else is shut down [during the pandemic].”

Pastor Keith King of Christian Tabernacle Church decided his organization needed to join the New Haven Learning Hubs Collective after starting a similar initiative of his own. ​“We were thinking of creating a system like the Learning Hubs before they approached us about joining forces,” says King, ​“We believe in faith, family, and education. We knew once the pandemic hit that children in marginalized communities would be affected much worse by this pandemic than privileged children are, and many students don’t live in an environment conducive for excellence, whether it be a lack of a high-speed internet connection or technology capabilities. We knew we wanted to help.”

“The urban community faces the heartbreaking challenge of either maintaining income or staying home to support their children’s education. Every child has the right to reach their full potential and families of color have always struggled in this country to do so. With the Learning Hubs, we want to create an environment where children are encouraged to use their imagination, increase self-esteem, and enhance emotional intelligence while being in a supportive environment.” King says.

Similarly to King, Pastor Abraham Hernandez of the Hispanic Faith and Education Coalition sees education as the building block of community and stability for our youth. He has also connected member churches with the Collective, some of which are preparing to provide space for Learning Hubs. ​“We have always put education at the forefront of our community initiatives. There has always been an achievement gap with black and Hispanic students and we feel students not being in the classroom will just exacerbate that. I don’t want our kids to struggle just because English is not their first language. The Learning Hubs will provide them a place that will give them structure and encouragement while Mom and Dad are at work. We’re living in unprecedented times and it’s imperative that churches answer the cries for help of our children.”

Workforce Alliance, the workforce development board for South Central CT, has also stepped up to help with staffing. It is sharing in a $434,951 National Emergency Grant to aid workers dislocated by the pandemic across Connecticut. ​“Supporting the Community Learning Hubs helps in two ways,” said Jill Watson, Manager of Special Grants and Programs at Workforce Alliance. ​“We are funding jobs for people laid off or out of work due to the pandemic. And by filling those roles, those workers provide vital services back to the community.” Jobs include Youth Development staff, Administrative Assistant, Custodian, school-aged teachers and Child Care staff, and Drop-in Center Site Coordinator. Eligible candidates may be unemployed or under-employed people laid off or unable to return to their previous job because of the pandemic. Candidates for jobs at the Community Learning Hubs will be screened through Workforce Alliance and the American Job
Centers.

Visit this website to see eligibility details and job descriptions. All applicants: email Business Services Representative Vicki Gelpke at [email protected].

The Boys and Girls Club is hiring for a number of roles as well, and job opportunities can be found here.

The Learning Hubs Collective also seeks to build grassroots collaboration that can endure post pandemic in support of New Haven’s young people. Chesler adds that ​“the Learning Hubs initiative has brought so many agencies together, working together to help the youth in our city. This bond and unity we’ve created will certainly carry forward once children go back to school full-time someday, and I know the community we’ve all built will last once this is all over.”

If parents or caregivers have any questions about the Learning Hubs, please visit this website or call Clifford Beers’ support line, Reach Out Connecticut at 844-TALK 4CT.