Population Served
This free and available childcare also gives parents the opportunity to work or go to school with the comfort of knowing that their children are safe, thus helping to promote their path to self-sufficiency. It is a year-round every Monday through Friday. During the school year, YMCA staff meet the school bus at 3:30 p.m., and the children stay in the program until 6:00 p.m. During school holidays and summer break, YMCA runs from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

All of those on the program staff are CPR and First Aid certified. They are trained extensively in child safety, developmental needs, and to promote positive guidance, positive behaviors, and socialization skills. They are trained to recognize indications of child abuse and child neglect and implement developmentally appropriate weekly lesson plans. The staff nurtures a positive self-image in the children and they each receive at least 30 hours of training each year.

Parents and case managers work closely with the staff to ensure that the children are being supported by all the adults in their lives. The stability of the same staff members and the same daily structure in this program allows the children to build trusting relationships with adults and learn appropriate behavioral and socialization skills.

The goals for the after-school program are:

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It is founded on the belief that children who are cared for develop the capacity to trust, care, and respect themselves, as well as other living creatures and the environment.

Population Served
Our classes are attended by all parents staying at the Emergency Shelter and in our Transitional programs. Our recruitment efforts are aimed at trying to minimize the resistance we face when we approach parents regarding the program. Parents come to SAMMinistries in need of housing, and usually do not identify parenting education as one of their immediate priorities. We work with the residents to increase their awareness of parenting education and the positive impact on the family and, more specifically, on the children.

Accommodations are made to assist participants with low literacy levels and Spanish-speaking participants. The Parenting Program at SAMMinistries is MANDATORY for all guests with children. The program is conducted in group based sessions once a week for 11 weeks for any guests of our transitional programs at our Transitional Living and Learning Center (TLLC) and for 5 weeks at the Emergency Shelter on Commerce Street and will continue under our programs at Haven for Hope. Each class is 75 minutes. Classes for the adults and children run concurrently, discussing the same issues and what to expect during the next week. Participation in group sessions is mandatory for all families. Individual sessions including home visits are voluntary; however, strongly encouraged.

Feedback received from parents regarding the program is very positive. Parents have stated verbally and in writing that they are changing in a positive way and their family life is improving as a result of practicing the concepts learned. Direct observations by staff confirm the statements made by these parents.

The knowledge improvement rate at the TLLC last year was 100% compared to our original projection of 90%. For the Emergency Shelter the improvement rate was 92%, compared to the 60% projected.

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Evidence of Program Need
While stability and family life-skills training are important factors in bringing balance to a child’s life, studies indicate that homeless children need extra attention to help overcome the emotional constraints brought on by their turbulent pasts. Children lack the cognitive maturity to benefit from talking through their problems. Conversely, adult controlled activities do not give children the feeling of empowerment they can achieve with the voluntary activity of play.

Play Therapy can be a valuable tool in helping troubled children work through their issues, since play is a child's natural method of learning, developing, and expressing their feelings. In a play therapy session, the child is the director and rule maker. They create a world they can master, practice social skills, overcome frightening feelings, and symbolically triumph over the upsets and traumas that have stolen their sense of well-being.

A trained play therapist understands the metaphorical content of a child's play, and strives to help the child express their needs and discover solutions in a safe, therapeutic environment. Play therapy offers children the opportunity to use the power of their own natural creativity and imagination to heal and grow.

Play therapy takes place in a playroom, specially designed, decorated, and furnished with the toys and equipment children need to use as tools for the dramatic scenes they direct with the therapist. Parents are important allies in the play therapy process and can do much to support and enhance the work their child does in play therapy sessions. Therapists meet regularly with parents to learn what is happening in the child's life, to share important observations, and to give suggestions on how parents can support their child's therapy.

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Getting though the teenage years is difficult on most young people and their parents. When homelessness is added to the insecurities of the teenage years, it is a volatile combination. Studies have shown that teens that grow up in a homeless family are more often than not going to end up homeless in their adult life. There is a much higher percentage of alcohol and drug abuse, in addition to sexual experiences in teenagers of homeless families.

The Teen Program gives our teens, which have spent most of their young lives in crisis, a place where they can be teens. By focusing on creative arts, we teach life skills and offer challenges and new exciting experiences.

The program provides a positive, constructive alternative for homeless teens. It is open to all young people age 12 - 18 years at the TLLC. The program includes guest speakers, art projects, field trips, organized sports, and culinary arts. During the school year, the program is offered Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 4:15 p.m. to 7:00 pm. And on Tuesdays from 6:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (life skills classes are held from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays). In the summer, the program is offered for thirteen weeks. The teens have an average of at least one field trip a week during the summer.