Program Description:
The Charboneau Learning Center/Greenfield in downtown Greenfield serves Greenfield and surrounding Franklin County Communities. Charboneau continues to develop programming to integrate and serve motivated teens while preserving our ability to serve the wider adult community. Charboneau Learning Center (CLC) employs a Youth Transitions Counselor with Federal Block Grant funds from the town of Greenfield to help young learners access support services and transition to college or work. Site Supported Programs:(See program description.) Staff Information:
Louise Barrows-Mollis, Site director Joe Panzica, Instructor Amber Ortiz, Youth Transitions
Counselor Successes/Highlights:Greenfield Block Grant AwardCharboneau Learning Center was awarded a one-year grant through the town of Greenfield Block Grant. We were able to hire a Youth Transitions Counselor for 18 hours a week. The grant required us to serve a certain number of youth in transitioning them to college or work. Due to the hard work of Amber Ortiz, Youth Transitions Counselor, CLC was able to meet and exceed the number of youth served. This was accomplished in a number of ways: extensive outreach to local youth programs, a series of employability workshops in collaboration with the Franklin/ Hampshire Career Center, one- to- one meetings and follow-up with youth and visits to Greenfield and Holyoke Community Colleges. Attendance PolicyIn an attempt to fulfill our attendance requirements implemented by the Department of Education (DOE) and to help students have the best chance of success in the program, the staff of the Charboneau Learning Center decided to put more emphasis on the agency attendance policy as set forth in the student handbook. Students understood the importance of consistent attendance in moving toward attainment of their goals. CLC was able to meet its contractual requirements with the DOE as well as enjoy the positive effects in the classroom on both students and staff. GED FairCharboneau Learning Center in collaboration with The Literacy Project’s Distance learning Program and the Department of Education hosted a GED Fair. The DOE provided funds to purchase software to allow people to take a GED Practice Test on line. Tom Mechem from the DOE’s Adult and Community Learning Services was present to support this event as well as answer questions. Bob LaPalme an admissions recruiter from Greenfield Community College was present to answer questions from potential students about the college and the process for enrollment. The event drew about 15 people from the community who took the practice test. We feel this event was very successful in that CLC and The Distance Learning Program gained good community exposure, CLC now has a computerized version of the GED practice test, we gained some new students, our connection with Greenfield Community College was strengthened and Tom Mechem agreed to be a speaker at the GED Graduation at Greenfield Community College in October. CLC would like to make the GED Fair an annual event. Site Planning and Action BoardThe initial goal of the Site Planning and Action Board (SPAB) at CLC was to assess who should make up this board other than Board members and site staff and students and what would be the focus of the group. It was decided that the focus of the group would be to foster and enhance the connections in our community with the community college, the Career Center and local employers. This would aid in accomplishing our long-term goal of enhancing and expanding our transition to work and employment programming. The SPAB at Charboneau Learning Center is currently made up of two members of the Board of Directors, site staff, and the Assistant Dean of Community Education at Greenfield Community College. The SPAB will seek representation from the Career Center as well as local employers. Over the next year, the SPAB will also assess the best way to involve and support students as active members of this board. Challenges: The Lack of Separate Office and Classroom Areas There are several administrative as well as daily tasks (such as returning phone calls or meeting with potential/current students) that need to be done during class hours. Not having an area that is separated from the classroom by real walls makes it difficult to accomplish this without disturbing the teacher and students. It also raises confidentiality issues. CLC will work at constructing some type of “walls” to ease this situation. Continued Development of Transition to Employment or College Program CLC will need to
integrate “The Pathways to Success by
21” (P-21) grant requirements into its work with youth 16-21.
CLC will continue to collaborate with Greenfield Community College to build and strengthen the transition to college component of our program. Community Connections:CLC maintains strong connections and collaborations in the community. Site staff are active participants on a number of boards including Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education, Franklin County Youth Services Roundtable and The Franklin County Family Literacy Collaborative. CLC is well connected to other social service agencies, particularly ones that serve youth as well as the probation departments of the local courts. Reflections on Last Year’s Goals:The Youth Transition Counselor successfully met the
goals of the grant. We hope to be granted funding to continue this necessary
work as well as expand the position. .
Looking Ahead:Explore idea of adding some academic requirements as well as maintaining attendance requirements.
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