This Is Why We Do This: A Look Back at Eight Action-Packed Weeks in Southbridge

19 hours ago

4 min read

On the last morning of our Summer Enrichment Program, we gathered to recognize the children who were aging out. Knowing they won't be back next year, and that some won't be eligible for Before and Aftercare this fall, we figured it would be an emotional sendoff, and it definitely was.

"Many children were brokenhearted," says Beverly Beckles, our Youth Development Director. "The tears were profuse and prolonged, by both those leaving and those having to say goodbye. For me this was incredibly gratifying, and I literally said to myself, 'This is why we do this.' The depth of love and genuine connection on display was overwhelming. The students and staff are interwoven like a close family.”

For Beverly, the moment that defined the summer wasn’t their trip to Cape May or their visit to The Franklin Institute. It was the goodbye. To understand why, you have to see what led up to that outpouring of emotion.

A Look Inside the Program

Fifty-seven kids, ages 5 to 12, spent the summer with us in Southbridge. Their day started with drop-off and breakfast between 7 and 9 a.m., then chapel, which included a morning meditation, the character word of the week, a Bible verse, and prayer. Morning Movement got bodies going before academic enrichment or a personal development lesson, depending on the day.

Afternoons brought the activities kids would often ask about at drop-off. Creativity Labs introduced them to knitting, baking, entrepreneurship, playwriting, and content creation. Club electives covered Culture Academy, arts and crafts, STEAM, baking, and swimming. Later came choir, drums, nature exploration, or golf, and a select group of kids made sure the outdoor planters were taken care of. Snack, open recreation, pickup by 5 — full days, by design.

"I believe our intense, action-packed program was enough to keep the students engaged all day," Beverly says. "They didn't have time to be bored or too distracted. They were focused and maintained a high energy level with ease.”

Thursdays were for field trips: Fun City, The Franklin Institute, Christiana Skating Rink, Main Event, Killens Pond, Cape May Zoo, and Jungle Jim's Water Park. Fridays ran on themes the teachers and students came up with together. Along the way, 4-H led a week of activities, the Grand Opera House hosted the children three times, and the City of Wilmington opened its summer programs to our kids, including a citywide field day. Our longtime partners at Delaware Nature Society brought activities on site and took the kids to the Southbridge Wetlands and the DuPont Environmental Education Center.

One thing that didn't happen this year was the end-of-summer closing program. As Beverly points out, too much was moving too fast to do it well, and an unexpected opportunity from the City of Wilmington landed on the day final rehearsals would have taken place. It was the first summer in Beverly's tenure without one. Sometimes having a packed schedule means something has to give, and this year, that something was the closing program.

What the Kids Loved Most

If you were to ask all 57 kids what they loved most about summer at Neighborhood House, you’d get a range of different answers, from an unforgettable field trip to a best friend made in week two. But two favorites came up again and again.

The first was the Morning Movement fitness challenge, a contest to see who could do a given exercise the longest. Crunches. Planks. Balancing on one foot. The competition was friendly, mostly.

The second was the Creativity Labs, and the proof was in the questions Beverly heard throughout the summer: "Are we going to work on the play today?" "Do we have baking today?” When kids start asking for more playwriting and baking, something's going right.

A Team Effort from Start to Finish

Behind every club, every trip, and every one-foot balancing contest was a dedicated staff. Four group leaders anchored the program: Ms. Danazja, Ms. Jada, Mr. Isaiah, and Ms. Covy. Right there with them were Ms. Cynthia, our Program Coordinator, Ms. Jazmine, our Family and Education Liaison, and of course, Ms. Beverly. They taught labs and clubs of their own, worked in the classrooms, and made sure the group leaders had the support they needed.

They weren't alone. Eight youth workers spent their summer with us — four Get Delaware Reading interns sponsored by United Way of Delaware, three from the City of Wilmington Youth Workforce, and one from New Castle County Youth Workforce. Summer Collab rounded out the roster, partnering with us on literacy and reading support from the first week to the last.

The Heart of Summer Enrichment

Every parent thinking about which program is right for their child eventually asks the same question: why this one? We put that question to Beverly, and here’s what she said:

This program matters because we believe that each child has genius in them. We provide a continuum of opportunities for children to explore and identify their likes, strengths, and special talents. We celebrate their creativity and successes intentionally to enhance their self-esteem and confidence.

We're also adapting to the principle that there is no such thing as a bad kid. While we uphold a behavior policy with high expectations, we endeavor to provide restorative, not punitive practices. We are patient, and we respond to behavior and conflict with reassuring responses, allowing each child to express their feelings before moving to judgment.

Fifty-seven kids spent eight weeks being reminded, in a hundred different ways, that there's genius in them. Judging by the tears on the last morning, they believed it. Summer Enrichment will be back next year, and we’re already counting down the days to another action-packed eight weeks.