CDF FREEDOM SCHOOLS REGISTRATION
CDF FREEDOM SCHOOLS FREE

Lawrence Livingston, Fran's husband and pastor of the Mother African Union Church.В 'Even schools become transformed.вЂќ вЂњWhen you get 100 scholars and their families being transformed, then that means they begin to relate to the rest of the community and the entire community becomes transformed,вЂќ said the Rev. And the curriculum and books reflect that social justice mission. This summer's theme is 'I can make a difference,' Livingston said.

CDF FREEDOM SCHOOLS REGISTRATION

In its fifth year at the Wilmington church, the programВ gets its name from the 1964 Mississippi Summer ProjectВ вЂ“ better known as Freedom SummerВ вЂ“ in which civil rights organizations traveled south to increase voter registration and educate black children.

CDF FREEDOM SCHOOLS FREE

The summer programВ and the accompanying after-school program, created by the Children's Defense Fund,В costs about $200,000 to operate each year, but is free to all participants,В Livingston said.В Funding comes from donations to the Peter Spencer Family Life Foundation, the nonprofit entity of the church, and grants from the state Department of Health and Social Services and Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families.Д«ooks and curriculum materials are purchased from the Fund, a private, nonprofit organization which focuses on the 'needs of poor children, children of color and those with disabilities,' according to the organization's website. PRISON NEWS: AG: Indictment in Vaughn prison siege expected in next 90 daysДЇOOD: The Church of Low and Slow: Pulled pork for First State summers вЂњAnd then we kind of say, now this is what yourВ reading is for. вЂњWe try to get them excited and pumped up for it,вЂќ said Fran Livingston, executive director of Wilmington's Freedom School. Guest readers enchant children with a short story each day,В and some use sign language to show the words of Quincy Jones' rendition of Handel's 'Hallelujah! Chorus.' Together, scholars sing, dance and clap their hands to hip hop songs and inspirational tunes reworked to focus on reading and education. They begin their day with breakfast and 'Harambee,' the Swahili word meaning 'all pull together' that describes the makeshift pep rally held every morning before class. Here, reading becomes fun for children attending The Freedom School, a civil rights-focused reading enrichment program aimed at closing the educational gap many kids experience during the summer months.Д¬hildren are referred to as scholars in this free summer program. That's the greeting that 111 Delaware children and their families receive as they walk up the steps to Mother African Union Church for six weeks over the summer. 'G-O-O-D, M-O-R-N-I-N-G, good morning,' they shout, clapping along. In Wilmington's Hilltop neighborhood, the chants can be heard from blocks away. Coming to Freedom School made me like reading and now I read all the time.Watch Video: Summer program offers chance for transformationД®ditor's note: This story has been updated to clarify the partnership between the Children's Defense Fund and The Freedom School, as well as the role of the Peter Spencer Family Life Foundation. Make constructive choices about personal behaviors and social interactionsвЂ‹Д«efore I came to Freedom School I didnвЂ™t like reading because I wasnвЂ™t good at it.Communicate clearly, listen well, cooperate with others, resist inappropriate social pressure, negotiate conflict constructively, and seek and offer help when needed.Take the perspective of and empathize with others.вЂ‹S uccessfully regulate their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations.Accurately assess their strengths and limitations, with a well-grounded sense of confidence, optimism, and a вЂњgrowth mindsetвЂќ.

Children responded that CDF Freedom Schools helped them to:

вЂ‹Children also showed positive changes in all five competencies of social and emotional learning (SEL) skills. Most children (97.0%) maintained or gained in instructional reading levels and did not experience summer learning loss. In terms of childrenвЂ™s reading achievement during our 2021 program session, 33 children at our 2 CDF Freedom Schools sites completed pre- and post-tests and demonstrated an average increase of eleven months in instructional reading levels.

Cdf freedom schools