STORIES

City Connections Supplies Virtual Learning Activities Hosted on CASE for Kids Website in 11 Council Districts

“Everyone in greater Houston benefits this semester as these online activities and lessons are available to anyone,” said Lisa Caruthers, director for CASE for Kids. “City Connections promotes crime prevention, child safety, career exploration and enrichment activities. It also supports the mental health of our families.”CASE for Kids is an afterschool intermediary which provides resources, trainings and funding for students in grades pre-k through 12 in afterschool programs in schools, childcare facilities and community centers and is a division of Harris County Department of Education. This semester, nonprofit organizations in each of the 11 council districts receive a share of $307,517 in city funding from March 9-May 15, 2020. Through requests for proposals, council members select nonprofits to provide services.

Councilwoman Karla Cisneros and CASE for Kids director Lisa Caruthers pose for a City Connections grant recipients Amy Chung and Jackson Guillen of Houston Youth Symphony at City Hall, December 6, 2017.
“Because of the pandemic, we are being challenged to stay apart and must think about new ways to reach goals. I appreciate how virtually all the provider organizations have done exactly that by creatively shifting to use technology to deliver enrichment programs.”Working directly with kids versus delivering the educational content online is challenging, said Mary Glover, CASE for Kids manager, but the nonprofits adapted quickly. CASE for Kids wanted to assist both the nonprofits and the council members in providing more resources that students and families could use to stay as safe and connected as possible. CASE for Kids City Connections Coordinator Adrian Izaguirre said the nonprofits have “stepped up to the challenge without hesitation.” “For afterschool, the change during COVID has been drastic but also evolutionary,” Izaguirre said. “We’ve heard many times that education in the future would need to find a way to be deliver virtually or digitally, and this pandemic has pushed us to do it sooner than expected.” Source: HCDE