Daryl, his mother, and his older brother live in a small house in an impoverished neighborhood. His mother works the night shift. They had difficulty with everyday necessities including food and had no computer at home.
March 2020, when the pandemic hit, Daryl was in first grade. Schools closed; children got worksheets to fill out to keep up. Of course, they couldn’t and didn’t.
July 2020, The Cambridge Empowerment Center opened an in-person summer program with a grant. Daryl and his brother attended. Daryl tested at “Low Kindergarten” level. This summer program concentrated on academic lessons as well as socialization.
Fall/Winter/Spring 2020, schools were still closed, and online classes started. Daryl and many other students in the area had no learning support at home. He and 20 other students came to the Center for a Learning Lab, where they could interact with their teachers and our paid supervising staff. This was enabled by state, local and Covid funding. Breakfast and lunch were provided by our local school district.
Summer 2021, Daryl’s academic level had improved. He had gained a full year and was then on an upper first grade level. Again, he participated in our summer program.
Fall 2021, schools opened, and Daryl came to the After-School program (Learning Lab) where he was given a meal, an online learning program and physical and social activities to keep him engaged.
May 2022, at the end of 3rd grade, he was showing progress in reading and math. Daryl still came to our After-School program, our structured and now mentored Learning Lab.
2023 and 2024 Daryl continues to participate in two of our programs and continues to improve.
In addition to academic help, Daryl and his brother received meals and a bag of food for over the weekend. At times, the mother asked for additional food. They also got occasional gifts of new clothes, gift cards for fast food, and in the winter a new coat. His mother has told us that she is so grateful for the help she received.