Citizen Schools Middle School Model

Are your employees worried about what their middle school youth are doing after school?

The need for high-quality after-school programming is especially high for middle school-age children — 44% of 12-year-olds across the country are home alone after the school day ends. The American Business Collaboration for Quality Dependent Care (ABC), looking to address this critical issue and expand the availability and quality of after-school programming at the local level, chose the innovative Citizen Schools program as the model to share with community-based organizations. The ABC piloted 2 programs in 2001-2002 in Houston and San Jose and plan to continue to replicate the Citizen Schools model in school districts across the nation. (Click here to view some pictures from our Houston Program).

Citizen Schools is a Boston-based non-profit organization dedicated to providing high-quality project-based learning programs for 9 to 14 year olds. Founded in 1995, Citizen Schools has served more than 2,500 young people and engaged over 2,500 volunteer Citizen Teachers. Citizen Schools operates 12 after-school and 6 summer education programs in Boston, and supports affiliate campuses across the country, including ABC-funded affiliate campuses in Houston, Texas, and San Jose, California.

Citizen Schools aims to support working families and schools, addressing community needs while helping young people develop the skills they need to succeed as workplace and civic leaders. The model focuses on skill development — particularly in the areas of writing, data analysis, and oral communication — and links closely to school activities and learning standards. And, through Citizen Teacher-led Apprenticeships, the heart of the program, young people work side-by-side with adult volunteers to master a set of professional skills — every semester, young people design websites, produce documentaries, cook gourmet meals, argue trials before federal judges, and much, much more.

For more information about how your company can collaborate with the ABC to expand the Citizen Schools model in the United States, please drop us a note at: abcinfo@wfd.com or call (800) 767-9863.

For more information about Citizen Schools, please visit www.citizenschools.org or contact csu@citizenschools.org.