2024 YOUTH
DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS
A Year of Growth, Achievement, and Community Connection
Beverly Beckles
Youth Development Director
Youth Development positively impacts lives by providing dynamic, year-round programs for children ages 5-18 years old. Our programs seek to meet the full spectrum of our children’s needs. We support academic proficiency, while caring for their physical, psychological and social/emotional well-being.
Our Before care program provides inspirational enrichment activities designed to energize and motivate our children towards a successful school day. Our Aftercare program offers a healthy meal upon arrival followed by homework and reading support, individual tutoring, and various specialized programs. Each child benefits from health and wellness instruction, learning focused on science, technology, engineering and math (S.T.E.M.), and nature awareness through our partnership with Delaware Nature Society. Our students learn artistic disciplines such as drama, dance, choir, keyboards, and drums. We offer seasonal sport activities including, flag football, basketball, and track.
As a United Way of Delaware partner, we provide BookNook, an online literacy tool. This platform provides a fun interactive way to increase reading and comprehension skills. Several students reading levels improved as a result of consistent use of this program. It has been noted that Neighborhood House is one of the top performers (along with the Latin American Community Center).
Our Summer Enrichment Program includes an education component in addition to sports, swimming, recreation, and amazing weekly trips. Our goal is to help prepare our students for their next grade level in core subjects as well as strengthen their reading, computer, and social skills. Our staff and collaborative partners serve as mentors, encouraging our youth to embrace their potential for greatness.
Through our Extended Hours Program, teens have a “safe haven.” An opportunity to meet with their peers and receive positive programming that includes prevention awareness, college readiness, and workforce development training. We continued to partner with the City of Wilmington Parks & Recreation, and W. Hicks-Anderson Center. Activities included multiple play street and other community events, movie nights, swimming and the Duffy’s Hope Celebrity Basketball Game.
This year we successfully increased parent engagement by introducing ClassDojo as a communication and engagement tool. This platform allows us to build strong rapport and foster meaningful relationships with parents, creating a more connected and supportive community for students.
We experienced exceptional parent support during our Black History Month program and Summer Enrichment orientation. Parents have expressed their trust and comfort with our program, consistently supporting their children’s participation in our activities, even those that extend late into the evening. The connections we’ve cultivated with families reinforces their confidence in our program. This amplifies our ability to enrich and empower our youth.
“A hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove…but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”
- Forest E. Witcraft
ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS:
Throughout the entire year we remained at the top of the United Way of Delaware chart for utilization of their online literacy tool, BookNook.
We streamlined our School-Age Application process to make if more parent friendly. It's more efficient, fewer pages, and still incorporates all of the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) requirements.
Continued Partnership with the Delaware Nature Society.
Continued Partnership with Pastor Kevin Benjamin and the Wellness grant to provide the disciplines of canvas painting, African drums, drama, dance, choir and Keyboards to our students.
Through partnership with United Way of Delaware (UWDE) children ages 9 and older participated in a Developmental Assessments Survey. Generally, the results indicate that our children are strong and thriving as compared with national data results.
City of Wilmington events/partnerships: Youth Workforce; Food Program; Junteenth Parade; Blue Rocks Game; we hosted “Play Streets (Rasheema Dixon Foundation, co-sponsor),” Movie Night at Rodney Square; trip to Hershey Park, the Splash BBQ party (Henrietta Johnson Medical Center co-sponsor); and the HBCU week, battle of the Bands at Frawley Stadium. The Church family, and the Romero-Corona family were blessed with Holiday give away baskets.
Partnership with Ezion-Faire continues. We use their gym for recreational/sports activities weekly.
We hosted a Mom’s in Action – Wear Orange – Anti-Gun Violence Event with Arts & Crafts. Our children painted a mural.
We expanded our Before Care services to include: A Library/Reading area, Coloring/Activity Book Station; Computer Station; Game Station; floor mats for tumbling. and comfortable floor seating for television viewing. Soft music is played in the background when the TV isn’t on.
We received two Quality Improvement Awards funded by the Department of Education; as well as smaller grants from Delaware Humanities Society, Royal Bank of Canada and the Delaware Community Foundation (Quinton E. Primo, and Century 21). We also received a food grant from Foundation for the Carolinas. We also received a donation from Councilman Michelle Harlee; and from a local supporter for soccer equipment.
Dr. Shaniqua Johnson, of UWDE, spent time with our students working on “I Am” poems and life mapping activities to support Self-Image and Social Emotional wellbeing.
This was our first year partnering with the New Castle County Youth Workforce Program. We hired one teen; this was a success.
This was our 3rd year hosting the Governor’s Fellows program. We hired 2 students who primarily served as BookNook guides.
We partnered with the Southbridge Civic Association to sponsor “Southbridge Day” with a bookbag give-a-way.
This was the third year of our partnership with Summer Collab Reading Buddies (for younger children grades K-3). Their “Mentor” program was not in operation this summer.
Ten children and 5 parents attended the Chocolate Ball at the Waterfall banquet facility in December.
Our Southbridge Bucks Basketball team (I-9 Sports), made it to the championship game, unfortunately lost.
Our Black History Program was more excellent this year. Every child had a significant role, and we incorporated technology into various segments. All, but one parent, attended. The program included a high level of parent engagement, for instance they participated as contestants for the “Game Show”.
Spring Break was a week filled with adventure. Special events included: Painting in the Park; and trips to Herr’s Potato Chip Factory; Delaware Children’s Museum; the U.S. Capital, and the National Museum of African American of History and Culture in Washington DC.
Youth Development Team benefited from an off-site retreat sponsored by the QIA and NHI, held at the Westin Hotel. This retreat provided development training and Summer program preparation.
Summer Enrichment Program was a huge success. This year we offered “club electives” including: Etiquette; Entrepreneurs; Achievers; Cooking; Arts & Crafts; & STEM. As usual, we partnered with 4H, offered weekly trips, and an overnight camp experience at Camp Pecometh for one week.
We entered into partnership with Southbridge CDC to initiate a Southbridge beautification project. This program has been placed on hold.
Lights on Afterschool National Celebration, October 24th. A myriad of events onsite was followed by a Hayride and Bonfire at Linvilla Orchards in Media, PA. The Delaware Afterschool Network provided a “swag bag” filled with gifts and goodies. They praised us for our support of this occasion and implied that we should be a featured organization in 2025.