As students struggle to adjust to the new normal of online schooling, Boys Town North Florida is taking huge strides to keep our Boys Town children and families' digital frustrations to the bare minimum. We have found that home is not a conducive learning environment when trying to stay motivated and free from everyday distractions.
So, the Boys Town team has decided to get creative and come up with a game plan on how to keep these kids on track with not only their academics, but their overall mental and physical health. And that is how the new Boys Town North Florida Educational Engagement Program at ART Town was born, or what I like to call, the ART Town Academy. Monday through Friday our Family Home campus youth report to our ART Town facility to complete their Florida Virtual School classes.
The space is perfect for young learners where they have a designated work area, small computer lab, crafts room, mini-library and so much more. Just like the traditional school setting, the children are provided with incremental breaks for stretching, snacks and trips to the bathroom to keep them feeling refreshed and ready to learn. Apart from providing resources to complete their assigned coursework during the day, we are implementing educational workshops, projects and volunteer-led programs for the children to take part in. These initiatives range anywhere from story reading with therapy dogs to volunteer-made video seminars on “how to build your resume," even an after-school yoga class to unwind after a long day of digital learning. Our team has been so impressed with how the youth have been able to transition during this difficult time and still find huge success academically – we have their report cards to prove it!
