Wesley Chapel Mission Center
76 East McMicken Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45202
KLASS (Keep Learning After School Stops)
Grant Application:
Wesley Chapel Mission Center is a structured educational program that opened in 2003 and is in the heart of the, Over the Rhine; Cincinnati, Ohio neighborhood. It is the most extensive after-school program within the community. Wesley Chapel Mission Center provides services and resources to the youth and families by demonstrating unconditional love, nurturing, personal relationships, providing educational programs, guiding social and moral development, and collaborating within the community.
The non-profit Wesley Chapel Mission Center is open to approximately (400), PreK-12th grade children who live between 13th Street and East Clifton Avenue and Elm and Sycamore Streets in Over the Rhine. We currently have 152 PreK-6th grade students registered for the KLASS program. The median family income is $13,488. 90% of our students have single-parent homes, while 100% receive public assistance to meet their basic needs. The four blocks surrounding WCMC have the highest violent crime rate of any entire Cincinnati neighborhood. Each element of WCMC is intentionally designed to address specific problems the community's children face. A failing school district is being countered with one-on-one or small group tutoring. The majority of our students attend Rothenberg Preparatory Academy. Although there is no report card for the 2020-2021 school year, the 2019 Ohio School report card gave Rothenberg an F overall with an F for progress, achievement, and closing the gap. The school was able to attain a D in improving at-risk K-3 readers.
Our high-energy 2022 after-school program is designed to empower PreK-6th grade students to succeed at school and beyond. Our free program is open Monday through Friday from 2 pm to 5 pm every day that Cincinnati Public School is in session. WCMC provides a safe place for students to meet their academic, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs in a caring environment. We want to have a positive alternative for children who might otherwise be on their own after school.
Each day students receive a hearty, balanced snack, including fruit, vegetables, and dairy product. Snack time is used to model and appreciate the family meal and help build relationships with students while using good table manners, engaging in appropriate conversation. Our staff and volunteers help with homework assistance, recreation, social interactions, Bible lessons, and creative activities.
Two Program Coordinators plan and lead the activities, supported by a team of Program Assistants and volunteers. The requested funding will provide food for our students each day after school, and help with regular expenses. Our Regular Expenses include educational materials, craft supplies, classroom management materials, decorations, t-shirts, and backpacks. Extra-Curricular costs include field trips, reward events, guest speakers and enrichment activities. Our Special Events are programs where parents and neighbors are invited to celebrate and engage with our students. The Internet cost covers the two spaces where students attend KLASS.
We utilize an asset summary, the 40 Development Asset system created by Search Institute, to help evaluate the program’s effectiveness. This assessment shows which of the 40 building blocks for healthy development our students lack and guides us as we tailor our work in those areas. Our goal is to provide them with tools to encourage our students to demonstrate Christ-like decisions and behaviors that transform the community.
Grant Evaluation Report:
The KLASS program for the 2021-2022 school year was successful. Despite major shifts in our staffing, we were able to continue our programming, uninterrupted, through the entire grant period. We served an average of 50 children a day. Each day, KLASS participants walked to Wesley Chapel after school with WCMC staff members from the two neighborhood elementary schools: Rothenberg Preparatory Academy and St. Francis Seraph. The PreK-2nd graders walked to the “Primary space,” located at 76 East McMicken. The 3rd-6th graders walked a bit further down to the “Middler space,” located at 16 East McMicken. After checking in, the students gathered for opening time and announcements, followed by a hearty snack consisting of fruit, vegetables, and dairy products. Snack is a fun, relationship-building time, during which students and teachers sit down together to connect through conversations. After snack, students completed their homework alongside staff and volunteers. After homework time, students participated in an enrichment activity, which varied day by day. Some of these activities included crafts, group games, academic games, going to the park, gardening, and other hands-on activities. We also incorporated specific lessons that helped strengthen the 40 developmental assets. An example of this was discussing what makes a positive role model and then creating trading cards, where the students drew one of their role models and wrote down that person’s positive attributes. This helped build asset #14: Adult Role Models.
We took the children on six Discovery Trips during the 2021-2022 school year. Through these trips outside of Over-the-Rhine, children were exposed to new ideas, possibilities, and experiences, outside of what they see on the street. During the grant period, we went to Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, Cincinnati Museum Center, COSI, The National Museum of the US Air Force, The Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and the Newport Aquarium.
Results:
KLASS 2021-2022 was successful. We provided programming every day that Cincinnati Public School was in session. We had a total of 176 students register for KLASS, and served an average of 50 students per day. We maintained a safe and structured environment. We provided healthy snacks for each child in our care, each day. We supported children academically by helping with their homework and engaging them in academic activities each day. We led engaging and fun enrichment activities. We went on We conducted the Search Institute’s 40 Asset survey in September and again in May, and had the results compiled and evaluated by the Search Institute.
Website:
http://www.wcmcotr.org Amount: $20,000
Date: February 2022
