Middle School Learning Center Initiative

Middle School Learning Center Initiative

Community Needs Assessment

The Mayor's After School Initiative and the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Center for Organizational Research and Evaluation (CORE) conducted a needs assessment. The needs assessment consisted of the following components:

• After School Provider Inventory to identify services and their capacity;
• Parent Survey to identify the use of after school programs;
• Maps developed to identify the after school needs; and
• A Comprehensive Review of after school best practices.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha's CORE After School Needs Assessment identified the following critical gaps:

• Students in grades 5 to 8, at the approximate ages of 10-14 are underserved;
• The Parent Survey reported 40 percent of children in late elementary and middle school are home without adult supervision at some times during the week;
• Parents reported difficulty in locating programs that provide transportation, affordability, and healthy food/snacks;
• Parents reported that they most trust their child's school to run an after school program;
• Four underserved geographic areas in Omaha were identified as having a high concentration of children, and a low number of after school programs. These geographical areas were used to determine the four middle schools for the pilot Middle School Learning Center Initiative (MSLCI): Marrs Magnet Center, Norris Middle, Morton Magnet Center and McMillan Magnet Center.  In 2008, two additional sites were added:  King Science Magnet Center and Monroe Middle. 

Action Plan

As a result of the survey and needs assessment it was determined that parents are looking for programs to serve their older youth because they are not as engaged in after school programs as younger youth. Parents also want programs that will offer a balance of academic, cultural, and athletic activities which is not always provided in after school programs. To meet the needs of the community the MSLCI was created through a collaborative effort between the Mayor's Office, The Sherwood Foundation and Omaha Public Schools by committing resources and support for the initiative to ensure its success.

The Middle School Learning Center (MSLC) sites will serve as an after school model including:

• An infrastructure that will provide neutral support for both agencies and schools.
• Lead agency that will coordinate the learning center and School Neighborhood Advisory Committee (SNAC).
• Lead agency Site Director will be housed at the school and included in the school's leadership team providing a link between the school day and after school programs.
• Coordination of the lead agency will include working with other non-profit agencies to provide programming and increase opportunities for sustainability.
• Programs will focus on academics especially academic curriculum used during the school day to link to the after school program.
• Programs will focus on recreation, enrichment, and cultural activities based on the needs of the participants and their communities.

The MSLC sites will follow and demonstrate elements of the C.S. Mott Foundation's "Conditions of Quality After school Programs"

1. Strong program management, including adequate compensation of qualified staff and career enhancement.
2. Enriching learning opportunities that complement the school day learning.
3. Intentional linkages between the school day and after school staff including coordinating and maximizing use of resources and facilities.
4. Appropriate attention to safety, health and nutrition issues.
5. Strong family involvement in participants' learning and development.
6. Adequate and sustainable funding.
7. Evaluation for continuous improvement and assessment.