Dear BGCWPA Families,
We hope that you all have been staying healthy over the summer. Although we don’t have all the answers yet, we wanted to reach out to share some news surrounding BGCWPA programming for the fall and alert families to what options they might select; we also want to get your feedback and ensure we are providing services that support your family and children best. Given that we serve over 12,000 youth through our services and outreach programs and support more than 30 schools and school districts, we have been analyzing the variable situations happening across our region. In addition, we are excited to share our new program and services model to make all we have to offer families clearer. Moving forward, our services are broken down into the following categories:
- Stand Alone Clubhouses (Brick and mortar buildings that run before/after school and specialty STEM, arts and sports programs)
- School Based Clubhouses (Programs that take place inside of schools and districts and generally offer before and after school options)
- Partner & Outreach Services (Programs offered in collaboration with other community organizations or outside of our typical scope such as relief efforts, food distribution, family/academic support, virtual programming or specialty day camps)
- Juvenile Justice Services (Services focused on intervention, prevention and risk behavior reduction; intentional focus on justice related youth referred by juvenile probation)
Our programs (listed in summary on the chart below) are broken down into our general before and after school offerings which include elements like academic support, homework help, physical fitness, fun and games and STEM/Arts, teen programs, specialty programs in STEM and athletics/recreation and Career Works, our youth workforce development academy.
Additionally, BGCWPA has been very busy building new partnerships with community organizations, schools and districts throughout Allegheny and Somerset Counties and is opening 6 new sites, two preschool programs, offering our programs as part of other community organizations existing programs as well as formally welcoming Somerset County to our growing list of Clubhouses. We are excited to be growing to meet the needs of children and families!
More Information about BGCWPA’s Options:
School Based & Stand Alone Clubhouses
Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania’s school based and stand alone Clubhouses are a safe, cool and exciting place for your child to spend time before and after school! Some of our sites accept Child Care Works funding and some are currently a different cost structure based on membership fee. Depending on the Clubhouse, before school services are available from 7:00 - 9:00 AM, with after school services available immediately following the school day. Our school based and stand alone Clubhouse programming includes homework help, STEM programming, physical fitness, literacy activities, gaming, fun and an afternoon snack! Our before and after school programs are an affordable way for kids to make friends, learn new things and just have fun! All children qualify to attend our programs regardless of family income.
Workforce Development
Our Workforce Development Academy, Career Works, is a full service program that takes teens and young adults on a formalized journey from filling in academic gaps, career exploration and soft skills training to relevant occupational skill building, work experience and a formalized plan for their future. Program elements include mentorship, paid internships, registered pre/apprenticeships, dual-enrollment courses, full-time career placement support and post-program transition. Learn more about registering for the fall on our website. There is no cost to participate in this program and in fact, teens earn a stipend to participate!
Juvenile Justice Programs
Great Start Membership at Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania is open to any youth ages 14-18 referred by Allegheny County Juvenile Probation (informal adjustment, consent decree, or adjudicated youth).
Virtual
This summer, we were excited to become the first Boys & Girls Club in the nation to announce our partnership with
Outschool
. Outschool is a platform that allows BGCWPA to flip what online learning normally looks like and turn it into highly interest driven, live sessions. We are offering highly curated classes taught by our instructors as well as give our members special access to numerous classes taught by teachers from all over the world!
Sign up for the remainder of our Summer courses
or stay tuned for Fall 2020 courses!
BGCWPA’s intention is to run a mix of virtual and in-person programming while carefully watching the conditions of the pandemic and school closures and may open our Clubhouses in the day during the school year for families who need a safe and enriching place for their children to complete online school work, eat lunch and participate in fun activities.
