Library Foundation of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
800 Vine Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Grant Application:
The Homework Helpers program provides free help to students in Kindergarten through 8th grade at targeted locations across the county-wide Library’s system (goal of serving 26 locations or 65% of branches). During the school year, the program assists students with homework help and skill-building coaching on any subject and during the summer they extend learning and mentoring to those in need of extra support.
Goals/Objectives:
The objectives and goals of the 2022 Summer and 2022-23 School Year & Summer Homework Helper program were to expand service to 26 locations (or pre-pandemic service target) for a full year of support and learning enrichment programming.
Grant Evaluation Report:
During the past 18 months, several changes have occurred internally to better manage the program, while also continuing to serve students and adapt to the realities of the post-pandemic. Although this report has focused on those changes, the most important element of this program is the children that are served with homework help and mentorship--so much of that was done during the grant period, formally through student session counts and informally with the positive presence of the Helpers at their locations being present and attentive to youth.
Results:
For the Summer of 2022, approximately 3,148 sessions were delivered, and for the 2022-23 school year 5,833 sessions were delivered. For the 18-month period, an average of 13 Branch locations had a Helper
Some interesting context, over the past three years for the month of December:
2022: 14 Branches, 1,120 Student Sessions
2021: 6 Branches, 280 Student Sessions
2020: none - pandemic
2019: 16 Branches, 1,257 Student Sessions
As of August 2023, Branches have a Helper, with more being hired in the coming weeks.
There has been much research on the continued impacts of the pandemic year(s) for youth--and specifically the loss (or absence) of social-emotional learning or support for students. The Library has also seen the impacts of this on how students come to their branch, interact with staff and other youth. This has made the Library consistently reevaluate how it approaches the behavior of youth at branches, specifically, and how it supports the community in a more in-depth manner. For example, many branches (especially many of the 26 that the Helper program has the goal of serving), also have a Monitor-Mentor position, a part-time position to form positive relationships with youth (specifically) that can also serve a bit like a social worker and a bit like public safety (at times). This position type is modeled after a similar styled position at the Cleveland Public Library. In addition to the Monitor Mentor position, the Library has formed an internal Restorative Practices group, to find more positive pathways for youth when they may violate Library Standards of Conduct.
With that background as a backdrop, there have also been internal shifts in how the Homework Helper program is managed to ensure it's better wrapped around and through these changes. For the Helper position, this shift has more subtly happened since 2022, Branch managers are more empowered when hiring for the Helper position: to find a great individual contributor for the branch and community, as well as a member of the overall branch team. While this internal shift may seem small it has dramatically improved the culture for and around the Helpers. This has also helped with the retention of Helpers who have been onboarded in the past year.
Website:
http://www.foundation.cincinnatilibrary.orgHomework Helper Program Amount: $75000
Date: June 2022
