PHYLLIS WHEATLEY COMMUNITY CENTER INC

Mary T. Wellcome Child Development Center of PWCC prepares children from low-income families for success in school by providing safe, affordable, quality pre-academic programming for children ages six week to six years old. Our research-based, nationally accredited curriculum ensures kids are ahead of the curve, teaching developmentally appropriate math, language, literacy, creative arts, social and emotional development, and cultural awareness skills. Staff work closely with parents to ensure each child achieves important milestones for development. Our youth development and skills-building programs offer options for all age groups, and include coding courses and esports for kids and teens, basic digital literacy for all ages, and mentorship. Community Resource Services provides wraparound services to clients in any of our programs to connect them to needed resources and support. By partnering with other nonprofits, this program allows PWCC staff to assess the holistic needs of clients on an individual basis and ensure they are able to access everything they need in order to maintain success after completion of our programming.

Youth Programming:Be@School - Year-round activities, during and after school and during the summer months provide school-age children and youth with stable, positive role models and mentors who build and reinforce academic and life skills by providing mentorship and working with families to address a child's trouble areas at school. The programs focus on strengthening family and community to accelerate kids' learning, build developmental assets, promote leadership skills, divert them from engaging in high-risk activities, and work with low-performing students to get them back on track. Our youth programs include Be@School, our truancy diversion partnership with Minneapolis Public Schools and Hennepin County; RISE: Building Bridges Through Basketball, which gives youth and teens a safe space to have important conversations and learn about themselves while creating a dialogue between Black youth and police officers; our early childhood development center; and our newest project which will restore the 100-acre camp that was donated to PWCC in 1956 to serve as a place for our inner city kids to experience the numerous benefits of spending time outdoors.