South Philadelphia West: At OFC Philly, Kids Are Encouraged To Screw Up
Finding an educational yet fun activity for children can be a difficult task. Many times, kids aren’t doing more than coloring outside the lines and playing with dolls or trucks. At OFC Philly in South Philadelphia, Nick and Erin Offenbacher are teaching local children how to build their own toy trucks. The Children’s Woodworking Class finds its home inside a […]
Education: A Comprehensive Look At Charters And What They Mean For Philadelphia’s Education
It is 4:20 p.m. and the security line at the school district’s Education Center was beginning to grumble with agitation. A mother clutched a poster-board using it as a fan as she stood in line in the heavy humid air. The small crowd took steps forward almost in unison, rushing to the auditorium hoping to […]
Education: Philabundance Community Kitchen Sets Students Up For Success
Ninety thousand. That is the number of people Philabundance served in previous weeks within its nine-county regions in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Eight hundred of those 90,000 meals are prepared by the students of the Philabundance Community Kitchen. The kitchen set up a new approach to helping those in need. Philadelphia is no stranger […]
Education: English Teacher Aims To Improve Opportunities Inside And Outside The Classroom
Kayla Conklin currently serves as the department head of the English department at Esperanza Academy Charter High School in West Hunting Park. That title is just one of many she holds at the school, mainly comprised of minority students in the surrounding neighborhoods. Between the hours of 8:50 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Conklin is either […]
Education: Five Classes To Try In Philadelphia Today
With all the negative attention education in Philadelphia receives, the community forgets about the different opportunities laced throughout the city. While there are endless programs serving the area’s youth, there are an abundance of classes and workshops available to all ages and skill levels. From arts education to STEM concepts, Philadelphia is a hub for […]
Hunting Park: Program Leader Gives Back to the Next Generation of Lenfest Center Learners
As a youth in Hunting Park, Kysheen Wilson was always looking for a place that he could get excited about. In 2007, the Philadelphia Police Athletic League began to use the building on N.10th St. in Hunting Park for athletic activity for youths from ages 6-18. Wilson started taking advantage of the programs offered there almost […]
Tioga: Mercy Neighborhood Ministries Gives Students an Educational Head Start
Bright lights shine on the beaming green and orange painted walls as the next group of children happily walked into the Mercy Neighborhood Ministries building located on W. Venango Street in Tioga. The inviting staff and abundant open space offer some of the best amenities and educational assistance in the area for children in kindergarten […]
Center City: New Program Combats Illiteracy Among Philadelphia’s Youth
The Free Library of Philadelphia has long benefited communities around the city. As the adult illiteracy rate in Philadelphia continues to rise, the library system has strengthened a two-year program called Read by 4th to combat illiteracy at a young age. “The statistic we go off of is that less than 40 percent of kids in third […]
Frankford: Hold Harmless Policy is Holding Back Education Funding for Frankford Schools
Education funding in Philadelphia is arguably the most hotly debated topic in the city. For local Frankford schools, it has been a crippling issue even though enrollment rates in Philadelphia schools has declined by more than 25 percent in the past decade. One funding policy in particular that many believe has been harmful to Philadelphia schools is […]
South Philadelphia: After-School Engagement is Combatting Youth Violence
A bell rang in the distance. The neighborhood was quiet at first, a cool breeze rustling fallen leaves through Stinger Park. Within minutes, the dynamic changed. Children and young teens came barreling through the quaint park from Alcorn Elementary across the street and their high school counterparts strolled casually down the sidewalk. School was out, and the not-so-subtle […]