Current Programs

EDCI

 
 

3. Strengthen Families - The Incredible Years Parenting Program - Y.E. Smith


Incredible Years program at YE Smith Elementary School builds parenting skills through a fourteen week class series which prevents long term problems like drug abuse, crime and gang involvement. These skills are taught to parents, preventing problems before they become lifelong habits. This program has won numerous awards as one of the most effective according to research.


Support from: Communities in Schools  


4. Motheread – Y. E Smith

Motheread is an evidence–based 10-week family literacy program. Parents improve their literacy skills and practice reading a variety of children’s books. Parents also learn how to engage their children in the stories. Through discussion of the stories, parents explore issues such as separation anxiety, values, sharing, etc.  The program is specifically designed for parents with low literacy. This was started at the request of parents at Y.E. Smith. 


Support from: Durham Partnership for Children


5. Backpack Buddies Program – Y.E. Smith


The Backpack Buddies Program provides children from food-insecure homes with weekend meals during the school year. Local corporations, civic groups, and individuals help collect and pack bags with kid-friendly non-perishable food. The children receive a backpack, containing six nutritious and balanced meals, at the end of every week. 


Support from: Interfaith Food Shuttle 


6. Neal Reads Project – One Book, One School, One Community

 

Downtown Durham Rotary, in conjunction with Neal Middle School, will promote literacy, discussion, and youth-adult partnerships by bringing students, parents, school staff, and community members together to read the same book. Teachers of all subjects will incorporate reading strategies and lesson plans pertaining to the book into their curriculum and hold discussion days throughout the year. The project will culminate in the Spring, 2010 with a “Neal Literacy Day.” On this day, teachers and volunteer panelists will lead the student body in small group discussions about issues addressed in the book.

 

Support from: Downtown Durham Rotary

1. Baby College

 

Incredible Years Classes for parents of 3 to 5 year olds 

These classes help parents create consistent household routines, respectful and trusting communication, and strengthen the parent-child bond.  Practical help with tantrums, transitions and understanding child development will be covered. Transportation assistance and childcare is available.  Series are 14 weeks long.

(2 series are offered in Spanish)

  

Incredible Years BABY classes for parents of newborns - 12 months

These classes help parents build skills in critical areas of infant care, including parent-infant attachment, health and safety, and the role of play and stimulation in brain development. Series are 8 weeks long.

Expectant parents may also participate. Transportation assistance and childcare is available.

(4 series in Spanish)


Contact Kimberly Ingram at 919-560-7319


Support from: NC Department of Social Services, Glaxo SmithKline Foundation and Durham Partnership for Children


2. Y.E. Smith Museum Club Tutoring Program

 

The Durham At-Risk Youth Collaborative (DARYC) has funded an innovative tutoring program for 50 children in grades K-5 at Y. E. Smith Elementary School. The program will run 12 weeks in the fall and 12 weeks in the spring. Using Governor’s Crime Commission funds and partnering with The Durham Public Schools and Measurement, Inc., children identified as needing extra support to reach grade level are provided tutoring, homework help and recreation opportunities between 4:30 and 6:00 pm Tuesdays through Thursdays. All children are bused home at the end of the day.

 

Support from: the Governor’s Crime Commission

7.  Living in Future Tense (LIFT)

 

At Southern High School, Living in Future Tense (LIFT) peer to peer group sessions (Reconnecting Youth, Search Institute Developmental Assets) are offered during school hours. Participant youth and their parents have access to additional support after school and on weekends. These resilience-focused sessions are gender specific and cover topics such as: Media Literacy, Self-Esteem Enhancement, Decision Making, Personal Control, and Interpersonal Communication. Incentives in the form of summer internships are offered for students that remain in program and remain in school. Students are referred by Assistant Principal Marla Bullock or the Child Family Teams on the school staff 


Contact Wanda Boone at 919-491-7811


Support from: Kate B Reynolds Charitable Trust

8. College Counseling – Southern High School 

 

Nancy Gallman, a former AVID teacher at Hillside High School, is leading a group of Durham for Obama volunteers assisting seniors at Southern High School with college applications. They are targeting young people who would be the first member of their family to go to college and many have parents who have not finished high school.

9. KidZNotes – Y.E. Smith


KidZNotes provides free, classical, orchestral music training (including instruments) to enhance children’s intellectual, social, and emotional development and success in school. Extensive research documents the positive impact of classical music on brain development, and participation in ensemble- and orchestral-based activities has been shown to foster qualities such as discipline, patience, accountability, mutual respect, self-esteem, and a sense of community.  Inspired by El Sistema, the world-acclaimed program that has transformed the lives of over 800,000 of Venezuela’s poorest children and their families, KidZNotes will launch a pilot project at Y.E. Smith and two other sites in East Durham in September 2010. The program also provides social and cultural activities to engage parents and families and contribute to the larger community.


Support from: Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, Sparkplug Foundation, Altrusa International, and El Sistema USA