Highlights

- COA runs a HIPPY program which is involved in childhood educational advancement and uniting families and communities.
- Monique Strickland has four children, and she and her youngest child are currently participating in COA's HIPPY Program.
- Family Gathering Night allows parent and children to get together for a night and enjoy food, arts and crafts, and entertainment.

COA Programs Aid in Childhood Education and Family Unity

Twenty-three percent of parents in Milwaukee Public Schools attended parent-teacher conferences last spring, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This number was cut in half from the previous year. In the spring of 2009, 47% of families participated in parent-teacher conferences.

Low parent advocacy rates do not leave MPS’ future hopeless. Parents still care and want to get involved. However, many parents need the extra support to enable this participation.

Monique Strickland, a Riverwest citizen and mother of four, actively participates in 5-year-old daughter Madison's education. However, before Strickland knew about the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngers program at the Children's Outdoor Association, it was harder for Strickland to always remain as involved in her other children’s education.

HIPPY is a national early childhood literacy program, encouraging parent involvement and participating in family activities. COA is an umbrella organization, including a variety of family oriented and community betterment programs and workshops.

HIPPY hosts entertaining and educational community family nights in the COA Goldin Center every month. After Madison, affectionately nicknamed Maddie, brought a letter home about from pre-school about the home based educational reinforcement program, Strickland became interested. Now, Strickland frequently attends HIPPY’s monthly programming.

While Maddie attends a Montessori MPS school, HIPPY benefits Maddie through HIPPY’s home schooling reinforcement.

“She really likes it (HIPPY). We call the activities her “homework,” because she does not have homework yet,” joked Strickland.

Strickland wishes that she could have attended HIPPY earlier with her older children. When Strickland’s 22-year-old son was a young child, Strickland was a single mother who worked two jobs, and attended school without a car.

“As a single parent with not a lot of time, that quality time would have been great,” Strickland said.

Not having a car is a large problem for Milwaukee minorities. Many people in minority communities do not have licenses. Only forty-seven percent of Milwaukee County African American adults have a valid drivers license, according to a study by University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

However, Strickland notes that COA is centrally located and accessible. The COA Goldin Center is available by bus, along routes in the Milwaukee County Transit System.

Although the Goldin Center is not too far away from home, the program has still enabled Strickland to reconnect with old friends, one woman who she had not seen in 10 years. Strickland has also made new friends through HIPPY, from the parent partners in Maddie’s classroom.

“Outside from just being our parent partners, we have become a family,” Strickland said.

Strickland has also been involved in other COA programs. One of Strickland’s other children is Brijanni, who is 16-years-old. Strickland has attended COA’s teenage outreach programs.

“The teenage years are definitely a much harder transition than (working with) the five year olds,” Strickland said.

Strickland said that COA overall encourages role models to inspire children of all ages. But for now, COA has helped Maddie be confident, and is ahead of the curve for students her age.