We have all heard that the key to success starts with a solid education. At Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, supporting our members’ academic success has always been a core part of our mission and purpose. Every child has the potential to realize their dreams, and our role is to help ignite that within them while promoting the importance of remaining focused and doing the work. Unfortunately, the results of COVID-19 created some significant hurdles for our Club members in that pursuit. Almost all have suffered a level of academic loss that requires intentional strategies to get them back on that track. One solution we implemented is the addition of Academic Coaches in all our Clubs, who are also certified teachers.
Stacey Hogan, known to Club members as Ms. Stacey, started in the Fall of 2021 working at our Barksdale Club in Conyers as an Academic Coach. Ms. Stacey quickly connected with the elementary and middle school students, one of whom was a 2nd grader named A’keylia, who was struggling with her reading.
“We established a daily routine of practicing sight words,” recalls Ms. Stacey, “utilizing Moby Max reading materials to develop A’keylia’s reading and vocabulary.”
A’keylia attended the Club regularly, rushing to find Ms. Stacey each day to ask, “Are you going to help me with my reading today?”
As the months went on, Ms. Stacey noticed that A’keylia was growing more confident in her reading skills and began picking out longer books at the second and third-grade levels to read.
Summer break came, and Ms. Stacey didn’t see A’keylia again until she returned to the Club at the beginning of the 2022- 2023 school year. Upon returning, A’keylia excitedly asked Ms. Stacey if she could come to the academic support session. Without hesitation, Ms. Stacey said, “Yes!”
In the learning center, A’keylia grabbed a long chapter book and began reading aloud. Ms. Stacey vividly recalled the moment and how proud she felt listening as A’keylia read confidently.
“A’keylia, I’m so proud of you.” Ms. Stacey exclaimed, “I can tell you have been practicing your reading this summer – you have come such a long way.”
Ms. Stacey remembers jokingly asking A’keylia, “Who taught you how to read like that?”
A’keylia smiled and replied, “You did, Ms. Stacey,” and continued reading her book.
Our Academic Support Program is designed for Club members like A’keylia, who have the motivation and potential to realize academic gains and need a level of dedicated support from an Academic Coach. She is just one example of many who are making progress in getting back on track, largely because of the Academic Coaches placed in all 25 of our Clubs.
Learn how you can invest in solutions that ensure our Club members, like A’keylia, can get back on track with their academic success.