*The image was taken during one of the field trips to

The Science Barge

The Rev. Linnette C. Williamson Memorial Park

Association Inc.
141 West 139th Street #C44, New York, NY 10030 Tel: 212.234.8953

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
.3
Partners
..5
Staff
6
Consultants
.6
Enrollment Procedures..
8
Student
Selection
8
Orientation
.8
Kickoff
.8
Curriculum..
9
Literacy
.9
Math
.10
Science
...10
Gardening
.11

Arts and
Crafts
..11
Theatre
11
Field
Trips
12
Schedule
.15
Evaluation
..16
Monitoring
Tools
.16
National Summer Learning Association, Quality
Standards...18
Conclusion
.20

INTRODUCTION
It is a known fact that in order to continue to do well academically and in
overall child development, children must be consistently engaged year
round. Ongoing learning opportunities must be provided in order to practice
skills and support educational growth. Unfortunately, most parents and
students view the summer months as an official educational halt. This
mentality is detrimental to students and results in summer learning loss.
More frightening than that is the fact that inner-city low income children

experience a stronger decline during the summer months, which in return

widens the achievement gap.
Often the disparity in their socioeconomic level prevents parents in the
Harlem area from enrolling their children in good summer programs or even
being able to find any containing a strong educational program. For
instance, educational programs that can provide a curriculum and support in
essential subjects such as language arts, math, and science. Other areas
where children need constant practice is, character building. Many times
this can easily be fulfilled through interaction, discussion, and collaboration
with their peers. All of which might not be met if a child is not enrolled in a
summer program or due to socioeconomic drawback might be left alone
frequently. In 2003 researchers from the University of Kansas found that in
four years, an average child in a professional family would accumulate
experience with almost 45 million words, an average child in a working-class
family 26 million words, and an average child in a welfare family 13 million
words, which was all documented in The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million
Word Gap by Age 3. It is our job to make sure that the children do not lose
the reported 3 months of lost information during the summer months while
also aiding them to catch up and close the gap.
When inner-city students are not enrolled in summer programs they miss out
on learning and skill practicing time, resulting in lower test scores when they
return to school. They also loose valuable class time as the teacher has to
set aside time to revisit lost information in order to move forward. If material
is skipped over or forgotten then the child now faces falling behind and
educational disadvantage that will follow them for years to come, constantly
being recorded in the ever present standardized testing that is on the rise.
Although Harlem has seen a reduction in violence and crime today in
comparison to police reports of the 90s and early 2000s, the dangers still
remain. When not involved in academic programs over the summer children
in low income urban locations become vulnerable to negative influences and
participation in perilous behaviors. A healthy social development is critical in
order to reduce barriers and noise that would prevent a child from
adequately learning and staying focused in their academic endeavors.
During this summer of 2015 we were able to accept twenty-three Harlem
students into the program. The program provides a consistent seven week
structured schedule precisely like their regular five, seven hour day school
4

year. We challenge the children to question, encourage interpretation

through several perspectives, monitor comprehension and fluency, and
support learning through play for healthy emotional development and
cognitive growth; just to name a few of the significant supports we provide
the children with for seven weeks of the summer. This summer we
completed the programs 18th consecutive summer of positive youth
enrichment.

PARTNERS
We would like to thank our partners and charitable funders:

Apple Bank for Saving

Consolidated Edison Co. of NY
CVS/Pharmacy
Greenacre Foundation
Guilford Publications
Riverside Church, Sharing Fund
Columbia Community Service
CME Group Community Foundation
Colgate-Palmolive Company
CVS/Pharmacy
Fairway
Norcross Wildlife Foundation
And our Harlem Friends and Neighbors!

Mission:
As one of the few inner-city, urban land trusts in New York City and the
United States, The Park Association protects and uses our vest-pocket parks,
community gardens and childrens playground to help repair the social fabric
of Central Harlem. The summer youth program aims for children to have
educational and enriching experiences during the summer months in a
positive and nurturing environment (williamsonparks.org/mission). Our
objective is to narrow the existing educational gap by monitoring sustained
skills and achieving goals in literacy growth over the span of the programs
seven summer weeks.

PROFESSIONAL STAFF & CONSULTANTS

The Art and the Gardens Summer Youth Enrichment Program this year saw a
couple of changes in staff. Christopher Anderson, the prior years program
director could unfortunately not return for a second year as well as one of
6

the group leaders, Melissa Maharaj. Fortunately, with an exceptionally

supportive staff and knowledgeable consultants everything ran efficiently
and effortlessly.
Nathaly Jaquez, Program Director
Curriculum Developer, Educator, Group Counselor
Masters of Arts in Educational Leadership and Teaching, Saint Peters
University
Bachelors of Arts in Communication and Sociology, Rutgers University
Warren J. Abney, Assistant Program Director
Community Organizer, Group Counselor, Case Manager
Masters in Social Work, Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work
Bachelor of Arts, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Doria Josma, Group Leader
Group Leader, Patient Care Assistant
Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Associate of Arts, Liberal Arts, Kingsborough Community College
Debinka Worrell, Group Leader
Program Assistant, Youth Worker
English in Multicultural Studies, State University of New York
Vincent Estridge, Maintenance Worker
High School Graduate
The Bank Street College of Education
Marnie Ponce, Bank Street Staff Developer
Independent consultant
Sondra A. Hamilton
Masters Degree Candidate, Education, Brooklyn College
7

Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management and Education,

Nyack College

ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES
Student Selection

ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES
The student selection process is done primarily by the organizations Board of
Directors. This includes timelines and deadlines to get all necessary
documents to complete the childs application and hand it in. The
application includes proof of address, proof of school, copy of medical
8

insurance, physical examination, and simple questionnaires. The board then

closely goes through the applications while taking into consideration that
there is an equal ratio of males to females and a varied age group. Variance
in age group makes a significant difference especially once the program
starts. This way groups can be evenly separated by ages in order to group
skills and grade levels.
Orientation
The program requires four orientation sessions for the staff, these are
referred to as start up days. During the start up days the staff gets to know
each other while taking instruction and direction from the program director.
During this time the staff go over procedures, best practices, sharing
research and the importance of summer learning, phone calls to parents of
all enrolled children, behavior management techniques, objectives, their
designated children, location set up, buying food and supplies for childrens
arrival and making sure that everything needed is at the site before the
students arrive.
Kick Of
All parents and caretakers of enrolled students are contacted to attend an
orientations day. The parents at this point in time can officially meet all
personnel for program staff. During this time they learn about the program,
the trips, suitable child attire, the final show, the programs goals and
mission, and that they too must be active in the childrens literacy gains by
promoting 15-30 minutes a day of reading at home (time is dependant of
age).

CURRICULUM

The theme for the Arts and Gardens Summer Youth Enrichment Program this
year is Agents of Change. Every morning the children must join each
other in a short chant before starting their day. The chant goes as follows:
Who are we? Agents of Change! What do we want? To Change the World!
The theme is also how each group name was chosen. Each group was named
after a Marvel super hero. The reason the children chose super heroes was
in efforts of explaining and closely relating the word agents to an idea or
image that the youngest group could understand. Being able to relate the
word agents to superheroes helped break down the concept in a way
that everyone could better understand it.
As Agents of Change the children will learn to understand that individuals
who succeed are those who keep an open mind and are understanding of the
world around them. Their aim is to think progressively by nurturing an open
mind, as they are faced daily with diversity and the complexity of everyday
social life. The children must learn to collaborate and work together for a
common cause in order to solve problems, this idea is then carried into all of
the subjects the children work on during the program.
The curriculum is intended to cultivate the understanding of their places in
the world around them and their potential to positively affect what needs to
be revolutionized. By encouraging collaboration you consequently promote
participation in all areas of life. The more children can be left with a lasting
impression of the program, the more self-assurance we can expect them to
perform with academically when they return to school. Thus reducing the
chances of them becoming just another statistic within the, low-income
inner city minority bracket; or from falling down the pipeline as Michelle
Alexander author of The New Jim Crow would describe it.
Literacy
Reading, writing, and comprehension is one of the more highlighted and
stressed subjects throughout the summer program. It is to no surprise that
inner city minority children nationwide tend to underperform and show
stalled progress in large numbers when it comes to literacy. This in return
affects every other subject putting them at an academic disadvantage.
Each morning in order to begin the day, the children must each spend 20-30
minutes reading and filling in their reading logs. The younger 5-6 y/o group
is read to out loud. Upon completion of their self chosen readings, the
10

groups must then fill in their reading logs. The younger groups log
assignments are adjusted by the group leader as deemed necessary
following guidelines provided by the program director.
The group leaders must also incorporate words of the day, spelling, or sight
words into every lesson they teach. The vocabulary words used by the group
leaders come from the common core site standards for NY, vocabulary words
for their ages or grades, and from the Fountas and Pinell assessment book;
of either sight words or high frequency words.
On Wednesdays every week the children must go to the library where they
read books on their reading levels. Children arrive prepared with their own
library card and if they do not already have one then they are enrolled. It is
important that the children obtain library cards to continue the practice by
having the ability to check books out and continue reading at home. Often
children get excited to visit the library because they get to choose books
within their own interests. When a child is given freedom of choice in
reading, comprehension levels tend to rise.
While at the library a chosen few students consisting of a different group
every week have the option to go on the computer and learn computer
literacy or are introduced to coding.
Math
The students practice math every day with the designated math group
leader. At first we determined each childs math skills through work sheets
and problem sets and once that was determined then each child was given
differentiated assignments within their math level.
The early childhood group focuses on basic and more tangible math as well
as designated age and grade level math as specified by the common core.
The objective with the younger kids is to aid in the basic arithmetic that they
might already know and then to help transition them into mental math and
familiarization with measurements in different forms. The other two groups
focused on grade relevant math skills such as (word problems, higher level
computation, decimals, fractions, graphs, math symbols).
Science

11

Science is learned at the gardens through projects, experiments,

observations, and everything else that we do. The children can engage in
hands on experiential or project based learning.
This can even be learned through gardening and learning about their
environment, which consequently teaches scientific literacy and
environmental stewardship. The children engage with science very
frequently at about three lessons a week not including their morning
gardening and science based trips such as the Liberty Science Center and
the Science Barge.
Gardening
The students are given their own four plots within the community garden to
do their garden work. Gardening is done daily for about 15 minutes in
rotation of all three groups, which allots each group about 5 minutes to water
the plants. The gardening time was adjusted to 15 minutes after the first
two weeks. Prior to that it was longer since the children had to dig, plant,
and add manure/soil to either seeds or store bought plants.
Every day the kids get to experience and witness the immediate rewards of
planting whether it is by measuring growth, watching the fruits ripen, and
even the therapeutic abilities of gardening. The gardening is also
supplemented by incorporated math or science lessons and they learn about
nutrition, healthy living, habitats, their place in the eco system, the
importance of plants within inner cities, and the importance of bugs to the
gardening process.
Arts and Crafts
Every Friday after the kids take their quizzes and review their lessons for that
week, the students participate in Fun Friday Rotations. These rotations
consist of Arts and Crafts projects at three different stations. The projects
can vary from individual activities, to something large that must be done all
together, or even three activities that all blend into a topic that was covered
that week.
This year along with several other fun Friday activities was also two long
term projects. The long term projects were a mosaic art piece similar to
those seen throughout the NYC subway system and a large puppet castle
made by the students. Both were displayed during the final show and both
12

pieces touched upon topics such as (culture, shapes, patterns, symmetry,

texture, and abstract art) which could later be revisited in lessons. All
projects created by the children were hung and displayed during the final
show.
Theatre
The students received several lessons of theatre and stage terminology
(cast, dialogue, play, improvisation, intermission, monologue) etc. after
which, they all put on their own performances for the programs final
showcase. Unless enrolled in a formal theatre club or program, not many
kids get the opportunity anymore to showcase their talents in that manner or
to perform a full production in front of an audience. The performances
included poem recitation, singing, dancing, a puppet show, and a small skit.
The puppet show was the collaborative piece where the older group built the
castle and all stage props, the smallest group created and wrote the story,
and the middle group performed each puppet part/line on stage.

TRIPS
Metropolitan Museum of Art
We were lucky to be visiting at the same time as several beautiful African Art
exhibits. Specifically, the Mbeme Art exhibit where several of our students
were able to connect with the art and explain how some of the descriptions
on the plaques were from stories their parents tell them. It is beautiful when
a child can personally relate to what is in their environment especially when
it is being glorified and admired. It shows them that they matter and that
their stories and culture are equally as important as any other. Towards the
end of our day we stopped by the museums computer room and online
library for children. This helped the children understand many of the exhibits
that they had just walked through, but in a simplified manner.
The Science Barge
Although small in size, this location had loads of hands on learning with an
extremely knowledgeable and welcoming staff of volunteers and researchers.

13

The Science Barge is a sustainable science farm environmental education

center located on a barge on the Hudson River. The students were broken up
into groups each designated to a staff member from the location who worked
with them for 90minutes. During those 90minutes they did hand on
activities and showed them around the barge introducing them to solar
panels, wind turbines, a green house of self sustained plants through
hydroponics and aquaponics systems, and much more.
Sony Wonder Tech Lab
Through interactive exhibits and displays the children learned about nano
technology, virtual surgery, motion capture characters, a short screening in a
high definition theater, and film a short news segment of their own. They
then walked through several timelines including one of old technology and its
transformation through time into present day technology and one on the
history of interactive games.
The Amish Farm and House
We traveled from Harlem, New York to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to see how
the Amish live. The children were surprised to see how different people can
live while not so far away. Through a tour of an Amish home, farm, and
school house the children were able to momentarily immerse themselves in
country living.
The NY Botanical Garden
The NY Botanical Gardens education department runs a series of guided
tours in varying subjects (literacy, math, art) for kids Pre-K-8. Their trained
staff incorporated techniques such as sensory learning and inquiry based
learning to teach exploring properties, ecosystems, poetry, numbers, and
much more.
Liberty Science Center
The children were able to walk through a wide range of interactive exhibits,
play science games, and the opportunity to witness a live dissection of an
animals eye. Towards the end the students were given time to enjoy the
well designed outdoor playground and to balance their way inside of the 35ft
high Infinity climber.
14

Bronx Zoo
What is there to not like about the Bronx Zoo? It is the countrys largest zoo
and a little piece of every corner of the world at the fingertips of students
whose socioeconomic situations puts limits to their current reach. At the zoo
each group leader went over their lists of things to cover from animal hunts,
fun facts, vocabulary words, discussions on eco systems and habitats, to
discussing proactive ways they can help make the world a better place in
order to happily co-exist with the animals.
IHOP
At IHOP the children were able to select and order their own meals while
showing off their table manners and good behavior. Prior to leaving the
garden we always go over expectations and conduct, to no surprise the
children behaved outstandingly in a public dining setting.
Chuck E. Cheese
The Children enjoyed themselves after spending a full day playing games
and eating at Chuck E. Cheese.
Magic Johnson Movie Theater
Newly released film, Inside Out was a great animated movie choice
because it served as an opener to talking about personalities and emotions.
Inner-city children are often labeled emotionally disturbed, which
researchers suggest can prevent children from learning at full potential. This
movie was an inviting way to open up the conversation while learning new
information and sharing what we know about healthy ways to express how
we feel. Two helpful articles that helped prepare us (the staff) going into the
movie were one from the Huffington Post and other from The New York Times
who ran a story two years ago called Can Emotional Intelligence be taught?
about social-emotional learning.

15

SCHEDULE

8:00

Monday
Staff Arrival

8:30-8:45
8:45-9:30

Drop Off
Breakfast at
neighboring
school

9:30-9:45

Gardening

9:4510:05

20 minute reading
and book logs

10:0510:40
10:4011:40
11:4011:50
11:5012:40

Lunch at
neighboring
school
Recess
12:40-1:15 Group
Leader 1&2 take

12:401:50

Tuesday
Staff
Arrival
Drop Off
Breakfast
at
neighbori
ng school
Leave to
trip

Wednesday
Staff Arrival
Drop Off
Breakfast at
neighboring
school
Gardening

Thursday
Staff
Arrival
Drop Off
Breakfast
at
neighbori
ng school
Leave to
trip

Friday
Staff Arrival
Drop Off
Breakfast at
neighboring
school
Gardening
Quiz Time

Literacy

20 minute
reading and
book logs
Science

Science

Math

Arts & Crafts

Clean up &
prepare for lunch

Clean up &
prepare for
lunch
Lunch at
neighboring
school
12:401:30 Leave to
library

Lunch at
neighboring
school
Recess
12:40-1:15
Group Leader

16

lunch break
1:15-1:50 Group
Leader #2 takes
lunch break

1:50-2:00

Clean Up

2:00-3:00

Math

3:00-3:30
3:30+

Snacks-Review
Pick Up

2:30Return
from trip

1:45-2:45
Library

2:30Return
from trip

2:45-3:00
Return from
Library
Pick Up

Pick Up

1&2 take lunch

break
1:15-1:50
Group Leader
#2 takes lunch
break
Clean Up

Arts & Crafts

Pick Up

Pick Up

*
All groups stay with their designated group leader for each subject
Tuesdays and Thursdays are trip days
After careful reconsideration and suggestions from both consultants, the
program schedule next year will run on rotations instead
Children have about 30 minutes to eat the extra 20 minutes included is for
the walk to the school and the walk back
The schedule changes towards the end of the program to prepare for the final
show

EVALUATION
System of program evaluation
In order to evaluate and determine the success of the program, the Arts and
Gardens have successfully for many years used several methods of
evaluation suggested by the educational consultants from Bank Street
College of Education. The metrics continued to be used are metrics that
measure its students reading fluency and comprehension levels by school
grade and reading level. Other areas were also measured through
observation, one on one interaction, and weekly assignment/quiz
documentation.
Tools of monitoring and evaluation
Goals

Tools
17

Assessment

Fountas and Pinnell Literacy

benchmark assessment system
Basic Phonics
Skill Test
Irregular word test
Theater learning
Literacy instruction feedback
Lesson planning and observation
Notebook assessment
Independent gardening
Notebook assessment
Personal development assessment

Reading competence

Teacher Capacity
Improved Science Literacy
Environmental Stewardship
Character Development/ Behavior

Reading Fluency
38% or 8 of the children possessed reading levels above grade level
48% or 10 of the children possessed equivalent/sustained reading levels
14% or 3 children possessed reading levels below grade level
The curriculum maintained the reading fluency levels of 18 or 86% of
the 21 kids, at or above grade level
Reading Comprehension
29% or 6 children possessed reading comprehension levels above grade
level
52% or 11 children possessed reading comprehension levels equivalent to or
at grade level
14% or 3 children possessed reading comprehension levels below grade level
The curriculum maintained the reading comprehension levels of 17 or
81% of the 21 kids, at or above grade level
Emotional and Behavioral health at the start of the program
29% or 6 of the children displayed emotional immaturity and behavior issues
that needed special staff attention
71% or 15 of the children displayed emotional maturity and behavior at or
close to their age level
All 21 children enrolled made an effort towards improving under the
guidance and encouragement of staff. Four of the 6 children lacking
age-appropriate emotional and behavioral health made improvements.

18

The other two continued the poor behavior, which prompted a parent
conference.
Environmental Stewardship
100% or 21 of the children understood their role in their environment and the
importance of taking care of and protecting the natural environments around
them
Race/Ethnicity of students
100% of the children are African American, of which 9 of the students or 43% are
first generation Americans of African families.

National Summer Learning Association Quality Standards

(NSLA, 2009)
Category

Recommendations

Purpose

Program has mission and vision statements that are

grounded in the needs of its community.

Program sets annual goals for youth and for the

organization that drive a continuous cycle of data
collection, evaluation and quality improvement.

19

Program has evidence that it is meeting its goals and the

needs of stakeholders.

Finance & Sustainability

Program develops and implements a clear strategic plan

and aligned fundraising plan.

Program shares information about the program with key

stakeholders to promote sustainability.

Planning

Program is designed to allocate enough time, staff and

resources to promote positive academic and
developmental youth outcomes.

Program has a proactive summer program planning

process that is inclusive of all key stakeholders and
connected to the goals of the program.

Program has a comprehensive structure in place for all

programming throughout the summer, in advance of the
session.

Staff

Programs recruitment and staffing process intentionally

yields culturally competent staff with relevant skills.

Program staff is empowered to manage the program and

has a voice in organizational decisions.

Program provides extensive opportunities for staff

development and advancement before, during and after
the session.

Partnerships

Program builds and maintains strong linkages with

20

partners, including community organizations, the public

school system and government agencies, that are
supportive of its mission and have a vested interest in the
programs success.

Program has a formal structure for communication and

data sharing with all key external partners.

Program builds and maintains strong linkages with

families.

Individualized

Program assesses young peoples needs early in the

program and develops individualized strategies for
meeting program goals.

Intentional

Activity planning and execution shows intentional focus on

meeting
learning goals and use of research-based instructional
methods.

Integrated

Programming builds skills, knowledge and behaviors that

promote academic success and healthy development.

Activities show a blend of academic strategies and

social/emotional development strategies throughout the
entire day.

Unique Program Culture

Program creates a "summer culture that is different from

the school year and promotes a sense of community.

21

Conclusion
Giving inner-city children the resources that they would not otherwise have
access to during the summer months gives them the opportunity to
academically catch up to their more affluent counterparts. The Art and the
Gardens program allows the children to be placed into small group sizes
where they can receive differentiated instruction and assistance with
specialized needs. These smaller learning groups make the instruction more
effective with retention and learning. The program also, provides constant
feedback and support for the instructors in order to continue making the
instruction better every time it is revisited. Revisiting instruction assures us
too that lessons are content aligned with the state standards and the
childrens upcoming school year. Providing engaging programming and early
intervention gives the students the possibility for further academic success.
The educational consultants from Bank Street were valuable in order to set
up a solid curriculum, evaluations, and staff development. The independent
consultant was just as critical to the organization by providing mentoring,
feedback and program development by being present and heavily involved

22

all throughout the programs duration. Both supplied the organization with
tools to help improve instruction and assessment.

Board of Directors
The Rev. Linnette C. Williamson
Memorial Parks Association, Inc.
A Nonsectarian, Nonprofit, Harlem Land
Trust

Roberta Fultz, President

Kate Javens, Jice President
Dan Wood, Secretary
Paul Joseph Coppa, Treasurer

Every child is worthy of a memorable

and educational summer!

23