The Out-of-School Time and Summer Enrichment program is offered at neighborhood Centers and school-based Centers to students ages 6-18. In our club-based program model, students engage in project-based experiences that help them build technical skills and strengthen social-emotional competencies. Our core content areas focus on STEAM, Health and Wellness, Academic Support, Arts, and College and Career Readiness.  

Currently, CYC provides virtual enrichment activities aligned with in-person programming. Students receive club instruction through daily Zoom calls with nurturing mentors. Each virtual session is coupled with an at-home learning kit packed with materials students need to engage in hands-on learning. CYC currently offers a hybrid, in-person and virtual learning program, as well as a solely digital program. 

+ STEAM

To help our students build employable 21st century skills, CYC delivers a robust STEAM (STEM + the arts) education program to provide access to technologies, equipment, and expert one-on-one instruction necessary to thrive in a 21st century economy.

In this program, youth explore many subjects including:

  • IT networking and coding
  • Electrical engineering and robotics
  • Biology and life sciences

Many STEAM activities take place in the CYC Maker Lab, a creative and technical workshop where children become innovators. As they dream, design, and build, they develop STEAM-focused technical skills (how to code, manipulate vectors, use a 3-D printer, laser cutter, etc.) and applied skills (how to think critically about complex problems, work in teams, and follow a project from idea to product).

+ HEALTH AND WELLNESS

For our children to grow, dream, and thrive, their basic needs must be met. Children facing hunger are 22% more likely to become obese than those who do not face food insecurity. To combat this serious issue, we give our youth and families information on how to afford and prepare healthy meals. We also provide healthy meals and snacks to youth who attend our programs.

CYC’s Health and Wellness program provides nutritious meals and nutrition education, and helps children cultivate healthy lifestyles. We partner with organizations like Common Threads to teach families how to prepare healthy meals, make sustainable nutrition changes, and celebrate culture through food. CYC also provides a safe place for children to practice physical fitness and enjoy the outdoors, escaping the violence present in their communities. CYC Centers feature:

  • Climbing walls
  • Gyms
  • Outdoor spaces
  • A swimming pool

Examples of virtual health and wellness programs include:

  • Hip Hop Dance
  • Martial Arts
  • Ballet
  • Sports and Recreation

+ ACADEMIC SUPPORT

A 2013 study by Hart Research Associates showed that C-level executives prefer to hire college graduates who can contribute to innovation in the workplace, work with diverse teams, and solve complex problems.

At CYC, we define these non-cognitive 21st century skills as the Four C’s: communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.

For every age group within our Centers, we create project-based learning opportunities that fuse academics with non-cognitive skill development so children can thrive in school, their communities, and ultimately the workforce. Whether our children are engineering a robot in the Maker Lab, scaling the climbing wall, or creating a galaxy drawing in chalk, they are discovering and experiencing their unique potential.

Everyday from 3-4PM, our talented staff also provides homework help for all subjects and ages.

+ COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS

At CYC, college and career readiness begins at an early age. CYC's pre-school youth explore jobs and industries through stories and play. As youth enter elementary school and high school, CYC staff help connect youth's interests and dreams to possible career paths.

Many CYC students are first-generation college students, and CYC staff help guide them and their parents with:

  • Test preparation
  • Understanding the high school courses that will best prepare them for the colleges of their choice
  • Comparing financial aid packages and college fit
  • Writing effective and compelling college application essays
  • Sending students to college with the right supplies, expectations, and support systems in place Staff takes students to campus visits and tours and organizes events for current high school students and college students to network and share experiences. When possible, CYC connects entering college students to other CYC alumni at their school to serve as mentors.

CYC also keeps in touch with college students, providing virtual guidance and support to help them persist and graduate.

+ OUTCOMES

Recent survey results demonstrated the following results from the OST program:  

  • 91% of youth reported that when they grow up, they would like to have a job that allows them to be creative and innovative.  
  • 80% of youth reported that when they can’t learn something right away, they keep trying until they get it. 
  • 80% of youth reported that they like to learn new things in math. 
  • 87% of youth reported that they enjoy building things.
  • 77% of youth reported that they are good at solving problems.

CONTACT

Tina Ayala
Senior Director of Program and Operations, School Age and Teens
tina.ayala@chicagoyouthcenters.org