Bridge to College and Career Program
The NHA’s Bridge to College and Career (BTCC) Program,
open to all public housing youth in 6th through 12th grades, is a
unique and transformative program. We work closely with the Norwalk Public
School System (NPS), align with its curriculum, communicate regularly with its
faculty and staff, and complement its offerings. We also encourage parental
involvement, which is proven to be crucial in a child’s educational success.
Purpose
We work with Norwalk Public Housing residents, their families
and partner schools to enable meaningful and positive changes in the areas of
academic achievement, life skills and character development in order to compete
and succeed in the larger community.
Impact
The NHA target population is 6th through 12th grade
students from public housing sites who face multiple barriers to success.
The program helps these students by working with their families and schools to
improve individual academic performance, develop and strengthen good character,
and nurture useful life skills. Results include successful transition
into high school, college, and career, and increased ability to be productive
and independent young adults.
Recruitment
We direct recruitment efforts towards students, parents and the
schools our students attend. There is a formal registration process for middle
and high school students wanting to attend the on-site based program at 20 West
Learning Center. High school students who request access to computers,
assistance with a school project or needing direction and support for
college/career applications can stop by 20 West without formal registration.
There are monthly workshops that provide information and skill development
targeted for students around career and college.
Program Model
The BTCC Program is open to all Norwalk public housing youth 6th to
12th grade as well as public housing college students who need
access to computers or support around academics. The program is
held five days a week for middle school students and has a special track for
high school students who want to attend the program for specific workshops and
academic support. In addition, all high school students are invited
to attend monthly college/career focused workshops held in the evening that
accommodates their work or sport schedules.
Four
core areas
• Academics
• Life
skills
• Character
development
• College
and career (teaching about high school, post-secondary education, and
career-track requirements and responsibilities).
Within
these four core areas our students receive
• Homework
support
• Tutoring
in math, reading, and writing
• Teaching
skills for the transition to high school, college, and career
• Reinforcement
of executive-functioning skills
• Enrichment
activities to promote character development and provide exposure to ‘real life’
experiences
• Financial
literary programs
• Unique
speakers drawn from professionals inside and outside of the regional community
• Life
skills (oral communication, technology skills, leadership skills, teamwork,
personal goal setting and achievement)
• Character
building (beginning identification of life choices, student strengths,
interests, educational and career paths)
• Specialized
programs for females
• Field
trips to museums, galleries, and other places of interest
• College
and workplace tours
• Parent
and caregiver involvement
• College
preparation
• Ongoing
partnerships with artistic organizations such as Music Theatre of Connecticut,
New York’s School of Visual Arts, and most recently the Metropolitan Museum of
Art
• Summer
school programs (math literacy, reading, art and other age-appropriate
activities)
Middle School Program Goals
· Encourage
students to assess their interests, strengths and academic habits.
· Help
students understand basic concepts regarding college and career options and
financing their education/training.
· Provide
template for the college preparatory curriculum that students should plan for
high school years.
· Encourage
students to understand how they can build a profile and support network that
will help them reach their college and career goals.
· Support
students in attaining social and emotional competencies in the areas of
self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and
responsible decision-making. (CASEL)
Middle School Program Outcomes
· Attendance
· Completion
of grade level Naviance profile for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade
· Results
of DAP student surveys ( per and post)
High School Program Goals (9th and 10th grade)
· Instill
the belief that college is accessible for everyone
· Build a
strong foundation for students by helping them choose a college preparatory or
career course schedule in high school and encourage extracurricular
involvement.
· Build a
students’ self-motivation to pursue college or vocational training and help
them build a support network of adult mentors to help reach that goal.
· Help
students assess their career interests and aspirations and begin to research
colleges and technical schools to pursue those goals.
· Support
students in attaining social and emotional competencies in the areas of
self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and
responsible decision-making. (CASEL)
High School Program Goals (11th and 12th grade)
· Review a
college /career planning calendar for junior and senior year
· Establish
personal resumes with each student
· Create/write
college essay for college applications
· Support
students in attaining social and emotional competencies in the areas of
self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and
responsible decision-making. (CASEL)
High School Program Outcomes
· Students
prepare academically to transition to life after high school.
· Students
take practical steps to transition to post-high school options, including:
§ Campus visits, the college application process,
standardized testing , deadlines
§ Requirements for apprentice programs
§ Researching and applying for scholarships, filling
out the FAFSA, student debt
· Students
apply and are accepted to the post-secondary option of their choice
· Students
combine strengths and abilities with professional aspirations and preparation
to engage in purposeful life activities.
· Results
of DAP student survey (pre and post)
College Scholarship Program
Purpose
The NHA created the Norwalk Housing Foundation (NHF), a 501(c)
(3) non-profit organization, to promote and assist educational activities,
including college scholarships, for NHA residents of all ages. The NHF
College Scholarship Program helps housing students of all ages with
high school diplomas that attend or want to attend an accredited two-year,
four-year, or technical college.
Impact
The scholarship program launched in 1998 with only two
undergraduate scholarships and $5,000 awarded. One hundred percent of NHF
Scholarship Program funds go directly to students for college. The program now
also serves graduate students.
· 100% of
scholarship program contributions go directly to fund scholarships
· 73%
graduation rate for four year schools and 52% graduation rate for two year
schools
· Since our
inception in 1998, the NHF has administered more than $1 million to 202
students
Recruitment
Outreach propels our impact and success. Each year we work to
increase the number of applicants and successful recipients—our goal each year
is a 10 percent increase in student participation matched with a 25 percent
increase in fundraising.
Program Highlights
· 49
Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarship Recipients for the 2016-17 academic year
· 78% of
2016 recipients attend four-year institutions
· 3
graduate school scholarship recipients (program instituted in 2015)
· 67% of
the 2016-17 scholarship applicants are previous NHF Scholarship recipients
· Nearly
100% of our recipients self-identify as African American or Hispanic
· Past
recipients have graduated from Gateway Community College, Norwalk Community
College, Fairfield University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Sacred Heart
University, University of Connecticut, and other prestigious universities
· Largest
public housing authority college scholarship program in New England
· Recognized
by Harvard University’s Ash Center in its 2015 Top 25 Innovations in American
Government Awards
· Past
winner of National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials’ National
Award of Excellence.
One important feature of the program is the support
structure we provide to try and make certain that scholarship recipients attend
regularly, perform as well as possible in school and understand additional
avenues of support and financial aid. All recipients are required to
participate in a summer workshop led by NHA Staff.
· New
college students participate in a workshop that focuses on self-advocacy, time
management, and early creation of an on-campus support system including
guidance staff and tutors and establishing positive relationships with
professors. Returning scholarship recipients also give advice about what to
expect in college and how college is different from high school.
· Returning
college students participate in a workshop that reiterates some of the key
points from the new student workshop but also highlights areas important to
upper class students. Topics include: business etiquette, interviewing skills,
identifying a mentor and why internships are important.
· We also
encourage students to participate in workshops about financial literacy and
other pertinent topics that held by NHA and other partners throughout the year.
We want to prepare students (most of whom are first
generation college students) for what they will encounter in college and give
them strategies to adapt to their new environment so they can stay on track to
graduate. The additional care the scholarship recipients receive creates a bond
between the students and the NHF, a connection we hope will carry them through
the completion of their degree and beyond.
Program
Goals
The NHF Scholarship helps students pay for tuition, books,
supplies and transportation so they can focus more on their studies and less on
their bills. Our students work hard to earn a college degree so they can better
succeed in competitive job markets.
We established three goals for our program:
· Serve
as many residents as possible. Get them into school, matriculate, and
do well to earn a degree in a reasonable period of time.
· Level
the playing field, to afford low-income students the same
opportunities that middle-and upper income students have. We encourage
all scholarship recipients to attend the school that is the best fit for them
academically and financially.
· Reduce
or eliminate student loan debt. It’s is a huge problem nationally, but
even a larger problem for low-income students. And it’s especially
discomforting here in Fairfield County, the so-called Gold Coast, where the
average household income is $134,337. The average annual family income of our
NHA residents is below $20,000 and below the poverty threshold for a family of
four, which for 2016 is $24,250.
Program Outcomes
· Student
success
§ Scholarship recipients complete their semester
successfully (12 or more credits/semester)
§ Scholarship recipients re-apply for the NHF
Scholarship until they graduate
· Graduation
Rate
§ Scholarship recipients to graduate with a college
degree
· Job
Placement After Graduation
§ Scholarship recipients find jobs that enable them
to move towards self-sufficiency
· Residents
Move Out of Norwalk Housing Authority
§ Scholarship recipients are financially stable
enough to move out of Norwalk Housing Authority and be financially independent
· Program
Growth
§ Increase in the number of residents who apply each
year
Monday-Friday, 3-6pm. All children need to be picked up by 6:00pm.
The Centers will also be closed when Norwalk Public Schools are
closed due to inclement weather.
The centers will be open during school breaks; hours will be
10am-2pm.
Summer Hours 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM School Vacation Hours: 10:00 AM –
2:00pm
For more information call:
Educational Programs
Patricia Marsden-Kish, Director of Education
203-838-8471, Ext. 184
pmkish@norwalkha.org
Learning Centers and Bridge to College and Career
Wendy
Gerbier, Learning Center Director
203-852-1144,
Ext. 102
wgerbi@norwalkha.org
The College Scholarship Program
Kim Hein
203-838-8471, Ext. 190
khein@norwalkha.org