Childwatch

Beth McDaidRemembering A Founder of PCCY

We dedicate this issue to a founder and former Executive Director, Beth McDaid, whose life’s work was to make a better

and safer world for children.

Beth died in September but her legacy lives on – in the children who be-gan life with parents better prepared to cope with difficult situations; in those babies and teens growing up in safer places; in those immigrant young people whose lives were turned upside down by events worlds away or close by – and in all of us who believe and work to make systems better and take better care of children and youth wherever they may be. PCCY has set up a memorial fund in Beth’s honor to further support our advocacy work in helping to improve the lives and life chances of the children, youth and families in our region.

Speaking out for the region’s children.A Publication of Public Citizens for Children and Youth • January 2011

Post-election Stress Syndrome! So here we are, waiting for our own Superman: The one who will make the impact of the falling economy go away. The one who will provide support for the many who need an extension of un-employment compensation and more food and safer commu-nities. The one who will continue to support quality child care and education. The one who will note the advances in attainment due to investment in quality public schools and early care.

Forging Ahead In This Tough EconomyWe Need Our Own Superhero

The one that insists that all children and families have access to good health care. The one that supports build-ing and sustaining nonviolent and anti bullying initiatives. The one who knows all kids need afterschool programs and places to go, people to talk with and learn from, and an abid-ing sense of fairness. That's the Superman I am waiting and working for. How about you?

The Board and Staff of PCCY wish you a joyous holiday season and renewed commitment to working for, and realizing a better world for all children and families. In this season of

giving, your contribution to PCCY is welcomed! Visit our website at www.pccy.org > Donate. You will also find a link there to the Beth McDaid Memorial Fund.

2 • January 2011

Child Nutrition Bill PassesCongress Provides Help For Millions Of Children

Clock Ticking On BenefitsCongress Needs To Hear From You

On December 2, 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives passed The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (S. 3307), which the Senate had passed in August.

The bill now goes to President Obama’s desk for his signature.

This legislation will make meals healthier, and more children will be able to access meals in schools, child care centers and after school programs. With more than one in four American children struggling with hunger, one in three obese or overweight and millions of families across the nation trying to make

ends meet, the passage of this nutrition bill could not come soon enough.

Child nutrition programs help to address each of these concerns, so the bill’s passage is a victory for families and children.

Concerns remain, however, since benefit cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) were used to pay for this initiative. Despite funding concerns, this important legislation was the best chance to bolster child nutrition programs.

Anti-hunger and child advocates will continue to work for restoration of the SNAP cuts that are scheduled to occur in 2013.

As the year draws to a close, the need for greater eco-nomic security for many of our area families remains a somber backdrop. While the downturn and collective belt tightening may have helped us better appreciate

good health and time shared with loved ones, many who are unemployed face incredible uncertainty about the future.

Holiday food and toy drives are indeed generous and commendable, but they cannot possibly help the hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania families who are out of work and must make ends meet through the long winter months ahead. Good public policies, however, can. Congress is still working to address many issues of great importance to children and families before 2010 comes to an end. The most time-sensitive of these critical tasks is passing a long-term extension of emergency unemployment benefits that expired at the end of November.

On December 6, President Obama announced that he had come to an agreement with GOP leaders regarding a package that would extend tax cuts for all – low, middle and high-income earners – and include a 13-month extension of unemployment benefits. However, as this newsletter goes to press (and online!) this proposed legislation must still pass in the Senate and House. Some members of Congress believe the President has conceded too much.

The continuing difficulty is that Congress has been unable to reach agreement on extending tax cuts before 2011 arrives. Some want to target tax relief to working and middle-class families – the very people who need the support and are most likely to spend those dollars and will help the economy. Others are insistent that extending tax cuts to the wealthiest is also necessary, despite the fact that these tax cuts will add to the deficit and provide little bang for the buck in terms of helping the country bounce back from the recession.

One thing is certain: the proposed extension of unemployment is desperately needed and would benefit the 560,000 Pennsylvanians who are out of work – along with

January 2011 • 3

their children and spouses. Without an extension, 83,000 Pennsylvania workers (and two million nationwide) would lose benefits in December alone, and with it the support that helps them put food on their table and keep a roof over their head. In addition, this money would not be spent on the lo-cal economy – crucial at this point in the economic recovery.

Until the final votes occur we all must impress upon our Senators and Congresspersons the importance of having adequate revenue to fund programs that help ensure children have the basic supports, as well as help families get through these very difficult economic times that are far from over for far too many.

ACTION ALERT

Call Senator Casey, Senator Specter and your Repre-sentative and urge them to support:

• A long-term extension of unemployment ben-efits. Families need these benefits not only to get by, but also will quickly infuse these dollars into the Pennsylvania economy.

• An extension of tax cuts for low and middle in-come workers – including the improved EITC and CTC provisions from the Recovery Act (ARRA).

A number of Philadelphia alternative education programs are hailed nationally as successful models for assist-ing once-troubled students. To stress the need for continued funding and support for these programs, PCCY sponsored a legislative tour in October of two successful alternative schools.

State Rep. Tony Payton; Marlene Henkin repre-senting State Sen. Anthony H. Williams; Denise Holloway, representing State Rep. Dwight Evans; Sharae Montgomery, a fellow for the House Education Committee chaired by Rep. James Roebuck; and Jennifer Kates, representing City Coun-cilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez, took part in the three-hour tour led by PCCY Education Director Sheila Simmons.

The morning began at Fairhill Community High School, where students and administrators discussed the impact of the school on their lives. Fairhill, located at 2804 N. 4th Street, annually serves nearly 450 students from 16 to 21 years old. The students attending Fairhill enter with 13 or fewer credits, have dropped out of a Philadelphia public school, or are likely to drop out due to lack of academic progress. (The District requires 23.5 credits for graduation.) Approximately 80 percent of the students receive a high school diploma or GED, with nearly half placed in employ-ment or post-secondary education.

Students roused the visitors with tales of how the school had helped transform them from high school drop-outs to college-bound seniors. They spoke highly of tight-

Successful Alternative SchoolsPCCY Shuttles Legislators On Philadelphia School Tour

knit relationships with staff at the school and a family-like atmosphere, which the students said were the keys to their success.

“The visitors heard, ‘They care about me here.’ ‘They know me.’ ‘They know when I’m having a bad day,’ ” Sim-mons explains. “That motivates the students and makes them want to succeed.”

From Fairhill the group traveled to Northeast Phila-delphia for a tour of Excel Academy South, where students showed off such career and technical education opportunities such as culinary arts, graphic arts and woodworking.

Left to Right: Marlene Henkin, Sheila Simmons, Sharae Montgomery talk with a student at Excel Academy.

4 • January 2011

Students discussed how Excel’s focus on student decision-making and goal-setting had impacted their lives. “I cannot stop talking about the schools and programs,” said Montgomery, impressed with what she had seen. “With some traditional schools losing more and more students every day, and these schools having students waiting to get in, maybe increasing (support) is the way to combat the alarming rate at which students are dropping out.”

PCCY advocates for support for alternative educa-tion through its work for Project U-Turn, a citywide collab-orative focused on addressing the dropout rate and increasing college attainment for young people in Philadelphia.

The tour turned out to be an illuminating, produc-tive experience for the participants, as well as a boost for the programs. “It probably won the alternative schools initia-tive some important fans,” Simmons concludes. “What we want to happen is that in those situations where funding and support for our alternative schools is being threatened, these legislators will stand up for them and insist that they are a sound, solid investment for our kids.”

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Sen. Robert Casey and U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, joined students at an assembly in October at South Phila-delphia’s Furness High School, urging them to tell their friends about CHIP, the state health insurance program for kids. Furness is working with Public Citizens for Children and Youth to make sure all of its students have health insurance coverage.

Robert Casey, U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania; Charlotte Wehrli, Furness parent whose son is covered by CHIP; Colleen McCauley, Health Director, PCCY; Tim McKenna, Principal, Furness High School

PBS has a new name and the “The PBIS Express” explains the change and the reasons for the switch. The latest edition of the PCCY’s PBIS newsletter features a progress score (up to 100) for the 19 schools comprising the Phila-delphia Citywide Leadership Team’s introductory cohort of schools.

A combination of grades for teaching expectations, behavior violations, management, etc., the score determines if a school is implementing PBIS “with fidelity.” The magic number is 80 and four schools – AB Day, Kinsey, Patterson and Wister – hit or surpassed this mark.

“The scores reflect the extent to which we have students and staff working together to make a high level of respect, positive encouragement, fair expectations and con-sistent consequences the norm for our schools,” says Sheila Simmons, PCCY’s Education Director. “We are so proud to have a handful of our schools hitting the mark in PBIS implementation.”

The newsletter includes stories about PBIS and school safety, a PBIS-cohort school faculty and staff satisfac-tion survey school and an appeal to governor-elect Corbett to expand PBIS in state schools.

To get your copy of “The PBS Express” go to: www.pccy.org > Publications > Education. For more informa-tion call 215-563-5848 x12.

PBS is Now PBISPhiladelphia PBIS Schools Get Their Grades

DID YOU KNOW?

A recent study by the Fels Institute noted that the presence of a library in a community increased the value of housing significantly and that about

25 percent of the users of the library either learned to read or taught someone else to read at the local

library!

To find your local library go to www.freelibrary.org > Find Location

January 2011 • 5

Health Care Insurance InitiativePCCY Conducts Charter School Trainings

PCCY’s initiative to make sure every Philadelphia child has health insurance coverage has made inroads into the charter school community with two health insurance training sessions, held at First Philadelphia Charter School and World Communications Charter School.

Fifty-five charter school nurses attended the ses-sions led by PCCY’s Child HelpWatch Coordinator Deborah

Zubow and Child Health Insurance Enroller Loraine Iglesias, They reviewed the health care options for enrolling children in CHIP and Medical Assistance, behavioral health benefits, and applications for children living with guardians/kin care.

PCCY offers the free training sessions for groups and organizations working with children. The different audi-ences usually have specific needs, Zubow observes. “Nurses want information about physical health issues such as asthma, diabetes, immunizations, eye and dental care,” she says, “while early intervention and day care workers are more likely to be concerned with coverage for developmental interventions, and how these can be accessed and paid for.”

Counselors, social workers and resource special-ists want to know more about behavioral health aspects of insurance, Zubow adds, such as which services are covered by CHIP and which are not; when does a child need to be enrolled in MA for children with a disability and the details of how to help families make such applications.

Packets filled with helpful materials were given to the nurses for future reference. “A lot of the nurses did not know

Winds Of Change in HarrisburgShifting Political Leadership in Pennsylvania

Since the last issue of Childwatch, Tom Corbett has been elected governor control of the Governor’s office and the General Assembly has shifted to the Republican Party, and political leadership has shifted to Western Pennsylvania.

The new administration and legislative leaders will face a number of challenges as soon as they assume office in January. The most significant is a projected deficit of $3-5 billion in the next fiscal year, which begins in July.

Although the recession has officially been declared over, economic growth is expected to be sluggish over the next two years, resulting in lower tax collections and less money for safety net services at a time when demand for them is high and will likely continue to be.

In addition to encountering fiscal challenges, Gover-nor-elect Corbett will take office as major policy debates swirl around him. One of these concerns is the best way to deliver education: is it through school vouchers or greater investment in public education? Another is about how Pennsylvania will implement federal health reform. There are other issues as well: how do we extend the reach of quality early childhood education, prevention programs and community supports in Pennsylvania? Given the current fiscal realities, it would be tempt-ing for Pennsylvania’s newly-elected leadership to try to cut corners on children’s services. But PCCY urges that decisions about Pennsylvania’s children be guided by what the evidence tells us is best for them. Ultimately, what’s best for our chil-dren is best for the Commonwealth.

Deborah Zubow distributes support materials during a training at the World Communications Charter School.

6 • January 2011

that grandparents and guardians can apply for health insur-ance coverage for children living with them,” Iglesias points out, inviting organizations serving children throughout the region to call PCCY for assistance. “Give us a date and a place and we’ll schedule a training. We want to make sure that everyone is educated about health insurance.”

In 2010, PCCY trained over 500 child service professionals.

To schedule a free health care or health insurance training for your public, private, parochial or charter school or community organization, contact Deborah Zubow at 215-563-5848 x17 or dzubow@pccy.org

DID YOU KNOW?

A recent study by the Knight Foundation in collabora-tion with the Gallup folks, “The Soul of the Communi-ty,” found that people were attached to a community by physical beauty, openness (am I welcome here?), oppor-

tunities (civic involvement), and education. We were excited to see the importance of parks and recreation,

higher education, and civic involvement and noted that the cities with the highest rate of attachment had the highest rate of GDP growth! So libraries and schools

and openness to opportunities and the arts are good for us and our economy!

As Congress continues to debate tax issues and unemployment extensions, much of the debate – and media coverage – has focused on whether high-end tax cuts should be extended.

But our own Senator Casey focused his remarks on the Senate floor (November 30) on the need for sound tax policy that fights poverty, spurs economic growth and helps children get through the recession. Regarding tax policy, he reminded members of the Senate: “Two important provisions have been barely men-tioned: the child tax credit and the marriage penalty under the so-called earned-income tax credit. Both provisions provide necessary tax relief for those in the lower income brackets, and both provisions are necessary to help work-ing families barely getting by for their children during this recession, at a time when poverty levels, unfortunately, are increasing. At this time, this Senate must act to provide tax relief to those who are in desperate need of assistance while they recover from the effects of the recession.”

In addition, specifically addressing the expiration of extended unemployment insurance benefits, he reminded his colleagues, “There is one group we often don't men-tion. We talk about unemployment, jobless Americans and the economy. We often don't talk about the adverse impact specifically on children.”

Unwavering Support For KidsPCCY Thanks Pennsylvania Senator Robert Casey

He cited data that 1 in 10 Pennsylvania children has an unemployed parent, and explained that figure is similar, approximately 1 in 10, in many states. In Pennsylvania, that means roughly 265,000 children under the age of 18 are im-pacted by unemployment. So, as we address ways to improve the economic outlook in our country and discuss the tax provisions, we must recognize the impact the economy has on our children.

Senator Casey concluded his remarks with an im-portant question: “Will the Senate be a faithful friend to children, not just by talk and rhetoric but by actions, tak-ing steps to help children get through this recession, helping their families and also spur and continue economic growth and recovery?” By the end of the year, we will know Con-gress’s answer.

PCCY Executive Director Shelly Yanoff and Senator Robert Casey at a press conference in support of CHIP reauthorization.

January 2011 • 7

Give Kids A Smile DayFree Dental Care on February 2, 2011

Get ready for PCCY’s seventh annual day of free dental care, “Give Kids a Smile Day,” happening on Wednes-day, February 2, 2011.

Each year the Southeast PA Oral Health Task Force partners with volunteer dentists and the School District of Philadelphia to provide city children with free oral health care services – and to raise awareness that children deserve a better health care system that addresses their oral health needs.

Traditionally held on a District staff development day when students are not in school, “Smile Day” allows the maximum number of kids to take advantage of the program.

Last year, a total of 652 appointments were made at 21 dentist offices that provided free exams, x-rays, cleanings, sealants and treatments at no cost to parents.

PCCY serves as the call center by connecting fami-lies to participating dentists, and sending parents reminder postcard with their child’s appointment information. If you would like to volunteer to answer phones and welcome children in dentists’ waiting rooms, or if you are a dentist willing to volunteer you services for “Give Kids A Smile Day” call Roxy Woloszyn at 215-563-5848 x35 or roxyw@pccy.org.

Give Kids Sight Day At Wills Institute2nd Sight Day Event Reveals Knowledge Gap Judged by the number of children whose eyes were screened at Wills Eye Institute the second “Give Kids Sight Day” was an unqualified success. But a day of free eye checks and glasses also revealed insights about the state of Philadel-phia children’s eyesight and their access to vision care.

In just over nine hours 1,392 children of all ages had their eyes checked – up from nearly 1,200 at two locations last year. Nearly 43 percent of the kids (595) were fitted for glasses, the last step in a process that included refraction, auto refraction, and finally a visit to select frames to the Wills on Wheels or two Eagles Eye Mobiles stationed at the Wills entrance. Two pairs of glasses were mailed to their parents.

Given that during 2009’s “Sight Day” 40 percent of the kids needed glasses, this year’s large number is not surprising, says Colleen McCauley, PCCY’s Health Director. But the high figure revealed another concern: “We targeted children who failed a screen and did not have or had inad-equate insurance. But something’s getting in the way of them securing vision care, be it cost, location of care or misinfor-mation about their benefits.” We need to find out!

PCCY Child Healthwatch Helpline Coordinator Deborah Zubow, agrees that finding eye care resources is a confusing proposition for both the parent and the provider. “There’s a lot of misinformation and most people don’t know about their benefits, including the ophthalmologist and opti-cians. Quite often vision care is either not covered by private health insurance or it is very expensive.”

Her own glasses and an exam cost $400, says Zubow, who connects parents of children needing health care services to the state and county agencies.

The children’s public health insurance plans do indeed provide for eyeglasses, she points out, noting that while CHIP provides a pair of lenses and two frames per year, “that’s an inadequate benefit. Kids lose and break their glasses frequently.” Medical Assistance (MA) pays for as many pairs as deemed medically necessary and will replace broken or lost glasses. “But someone is telling people they can’t get glasses replaced when in reality an additional pair can be reautho-rized.”

Hundreds of children receive free dental screenings annually as part of PCCY’s, Give Kids A Smile Day.

8 • January 2011

A new grant will allow PCCY to help parents under-stand that vision exams and glasses are a covered insurance benefit and where families can get eye care. “We’ll also work with eye care professionals, informing them of how to get clearance to replace a child’s glasses,” McCauley says, “as well as trying to streamline the process and see if CHIP can ex-pand its vision benefit to include more replacement glasses.”

Special thanks to the nearly 400 volunteers and our “Sight Day” partners, Eagles Youth Partnership, The Wills Eye Institute, First Hospital Foundation and Jefferson Medi-cal College! We also wish to express our appreciation to:

Aramark * Capriccio Café * Così * Creative Characters * Lombart Ophthalmic Equipment * Midtown II Restaurant * Rittenhouse Market * St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children * Starbucks Coffee * Walgreens * Wawa * Whole Foods * School District of Philadelphia

It was a job well done by all.

Eagles fans Iahjah, Aneise and William, Jr were accompanied by their father William Bonner on Sight Day.

Asiyah Kane loves her new glasses provided for free by Eagles Youth Partnership.

Nearly 1,400 children were screened in one day at Wills Eye Institute and Jefferson Hospital. Interpreters were available speak-ing seven different languages.

Brothers Michael and Jason O’Connell wait their turns for eye screens at Jefferson.

Dr. Alex Levin, Chief of Pediatric Opthalmology and Ocular Genetics at Wills Eye Institute, clowns around with PCCY’s Health Director, Colleen McCauley.

John Altomare gets checked for color-blindness. He’s A-Ok!

January 2011 • 9

The Picasso ProjectContinuing To Support Arts Projects In Our Schools

Ask ZKeeping Children Healthy During Cold Weather

Once again, $5,000 grants to support arts proj-ects in Philadelphia K-12 public schools will be awarded through PCCY’s Picasso Project.

Aside from the five support sessions held to assist with the application process, interest in the grants was heightened this year with the addition of a November workshop billed as an “Arts Education Citywide Meeting.”

The three dozen teachers who attended the informa-tion session, held at Benjamin Rush Academy, shared tips for finding funding resources, grantwriting and constructing successful collaborative arts project proposals.

In the days following the workshop, Picasso Project Coordinator Gretchen Elise Walker fielded 60 inquiries from faculty interested in pursuing grants for their schools. “I’m glad that the District is strongly recognizing the significant support the Picasso Project is giving towards bolstering arts in schools,” she says. “The teachers were very receptive to not only our grant, but also in finding other ways to get support for arts for schools.”

The Picasso Project awards ceremony where the winning schools (page 11) will receive their grants is free and open to the public, and will be held at the World Café Live on Friday, February 11, 4:00pm – 6:00pm. For details, go to www.pccy.org > Issues > Picasso Project, or contact Gretchen Elise Walker at 215-563-5848 x 22 or gretchene-lise@pccy.org.

One of the best things you can do is get yourself and your children a flu shot. For some kids – those at higher risk for hav-ing serious flu-related complications or who live with people at

high risk for having flu-related complications – getting a flu shot is very important.

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health rec-ommends that everyone six months and older gets a flu shot. Their website suggests ways to prevent respiratory illnesses and has a list of health center locations where you can get a free flu shot: http://www.phila.gov/health/DiseaseControl/FightingFlu.html

Dear Z: During the winter, my kids always seem to get sick with colds, flu and sore throats. What can I do to keep them healthy during the cold weather?

It’s never too late to get a flu shot during the winter, but the earlier you get one the better. So don’t hesitate! If your children don’t have insurance and you need help paying for flu shots or other health care services, call PCCY’s Child Healthwatch Helpline and we’ll help you apply for insurance. We do it for free, over the phone, and in any language. Our number is 215-563-5848 x17 or x19.

DID YOU KNOW?

Fewer than 40 percent of eligible children in Pennsylvania attend publicly-supported early

childhood education programs?

10 • January 2011

2011 Annual AppealHelp Support the Programs and Projects at PCCY

Celebrating 30 Years Of Advocacy PCCY Prepares To Celebrate A Major Milestone

As we continue to work on behalf of the children, youth and families in our region during these uncertain times, we must make certain that their health, education and care become the top priorities for our legislators. Your partnership in these efforts is vital to our success!

Here’s how you can help:

Make a gift or monthly pledge to support our programs• Join our advocacy efforts by signing up for our E-Alerts• Join us on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 for our 30• th Anniversary Event (see below for more information)

To donate, visit our website at www.pccy.org > Donate or contact Steven Fynes at 215-563-5848 x11 or info@pccy.org to make a gift or monthly pledge by credit card. To join our advocacy efforts, visit www.pccy.org and enter your email address to “Sign Up For E-Alerts.” Help us make a difference in the quality of the lives of our children!

Want to know more about how PCCY has make a difference this year? Go to www.pccy.org > Donate > Annual Giving Campaign to read our Advocacy With Impact statement.

Mark your calendars: Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Join us as we celebrate 30 years of advocacy on behalf of children, youth and families in our region!

This year’s food and fun fete, taking the place of our annual “Super Party,” will be held at the Crystal Tea Room in the Wanamaker Building (now Macy’s Department Store) on Market Street between 12th and 13th Streets in Philadelphia.

“Our theme of ‘Honoring Our Past, Building Their Future’ will celebrate our accomplishments over the past 30 years, while looking ahead to the work that lies in front of us - continuing to help improve the lives of our region’s families,” notes Steven Fynes, PCCY’s Information and Events Coordinator.

Watch your mail and our website for more information over the next few weeks. While full details of the event are still being worked out, sponsorship opportunities are now available. Contact Steven Fynes for more information at info@pccy.org or 215-563-5848 x11. Visit our website at www.pccy.org > Special Events for sponsorship details.

January 2011 • 11

Comings and Goings

So long to... Justin Parackel and Shannon Link who worked on our school-based insurance initiative by organizing and conducting outreach in South Philly schools and neighborhoods. Shannon also researched efforts at helping pregnant and parenting youth school while Justin helped map out health, human and social services in several communities to further an early intervention project.

Speaking, writing, testifying truth to power. Laughing, insisting, em-ceeing, advocating. Nudging, pushing, advancing a better shot, a better life for children and youth. Rally leader, bridge builder, coalition maker, unyielding in insistence that all our kids needed all of us to protect them and support them.

That was and is Sheila Simmons. Sheila has been our Education Director for almost five years. We wish her well and miss her already. She will stay active in PCCY’s Education Committee and be a part of our extended family.

Join us in wishing her well!

Breaking News:PCCY Announces Winners of 2010 Picasso Project AwardsExcel Academy South: “My Philadelphia” - students will have the opportunity to express themselves and their view of the city through photography and writing.

Andrew Jackson School: “School of the Suns/Escuela de los Soles” - students will research and use traditional ethnic mandala forms as mosaic sund and discuss their roles in different cultures.

Kensington Urban Education Academy: “Comparing and Con-necting Cultures of Latin American Art Through Portrait, Painting, Clay and Diversity Found Object Mobiles” - students will learn about themselves, their family history and become more self aware and appreciative of Latin cultures.

Lankenau High School For Environmental Science: “Art Goes Green - Visions of Sustainable Enviornment” - students will de-velop an appreciation of the the arts play in their lives.

Henry Lea School: “Lea Visual Arts Project” - schoolwide collab-orative effort to improve school climate through visual art design and presentation.

Alexander McClure School: “Promoting Civic Pride” - ongoing efforts to promote civic pride and social responsibility at the school will be strengthened.

Motivation High School: “Multicultural Artistic Experience” - students will work to incorporate aspects of the arts including American art, African dancing and Arabic drumming into one of their core courses.

Pennypacker Elementary School: “The Legacy of Dreamers” - students will be given the chance to leave their permanent mark on their school through various arts projects.

Philadelphia High Shcool for Business and Technology: “Multi-cultural Mania” - students will be involved in three multicultural (African, Chinese and American Indian) lessons.

South Philadelphia High School: “Building Bridges and Allies” - students will implement creative, thoughtful and deliberate op-portunities to improve school climate.

Mission StatementPCCY - Public Citizens for Children and Youth is the region’s leading child advocacy organization, dedicated to improving the lives and life chances of children in our region through thoughtful and informed advocacy. Founded in 1980, PCCY is an independent, non-profit organization.

About The NewsletterWriters and Editors: Christie Balka, Kathy Fisher, Steven Fynes, Colleen McCauley, Sheila Simmons, Shelly D. Yanoff, Executive Director and Sid Holmes, Communications Director. Design & Layout, Steven E. Fynes.

Contact UsTelephone: 215-563-5848Email: info@pccy.orgWeb: www.pccy.org

PCCY Roundtable

Join PCCY’s Education Roundtable, a monthly discussion with local reporters of topical issues affecting the School District of Philadelphia and its students. Hosted by Shelly Yanoff, the half-hour program airs

on PSTV, Comcast Channel 52, the District’s own cable channel. Check local listings for time. View current episodes at

www.pccy.org >Events > Education Roundtable.

Phone: 215-563-5848Fax: 215-563-9442Web: www.pccy.org

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