This summer, Drake University will host a program to better equip parents with the tools, knowledge and resources to help their children with schoolwork and become more involved in the educational process.
For the first time, Drake will host the Homework Empowerment Camp, which is aimed at African-American parents and their school-aged children. The program teaches parents about computer tutoring programs and ways they can better build their child’s success in school through the support they provide at home.
“We want to narrow the computer knowledge and skills gap that parents often feel when it comes to helping their students at home with schoolwork,” said Paulette Wiley, who is spearheading the program. “We know that if parents are involved in their child’s education, their chances for success are significantly higher.”
Wiley said that parents will learn how to effectively navigate the computer and learn about age-specific interactive websites they can use to be skillful tutors to their children at home.
Since its first year in 2008, the program has grown from 10 families to 57 students and 40 adults who participated last year. Wiley said she is expecting even more parents and students to enter the program this year.
Camp sessions, which are free, will be held on July 15, 17, 20, 22 and 24, and on Aug. 3, 5, 7, 10, 12 and 14. Weekday sessions are from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and Saturday sessions will be held 10 a.m. to noon.
The DMACC Urban Campus, at 1100 Seventh St. in Des Moines, is the site for parents and children in grades pre-kindergarten to fifth grade.
Meredith Hall at Drake University is the site for parents and children in grades sixth through 12th grade.
Education BrainTrust is the organization spearheading the project of homework empowerment for parents and the program’s primary sponsor is Community Partnerships for Protecting Children, a subsidiary of Iowa Department of Human Services.
Other partners in the Homework Empowerment Camp program include:
- Des Moines Public Schools
- John R. Grubb Community YMCA
- Ask Family Resource Center
- Des Moines Area Community College
For more information or to sign up for the program, call Paulette Wiley at 515-867-6189.