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Since our inception in 1999, we have partnered with K-12 schools throughout metro Detroit providing quality school-based programs and initiatives.
- Academy of the Americas
- Butzel Middle School
- Cesar Chavez Academy
- Chadsey High School
- Cleveland Middle School
- Crossman Alternative
- Detroit Lions Academy
- Duffiled Elementary School
- Foch Middle School
- Friends School of Detroit
| - Harms Elementary School
- Henry Ford Academy
- Keller Middle School
- Maybury Elementary School
- Roberto Clemente Learning Academy
- Salina Elementary School
- Trix Elementary School
- Vetal Elementary School
- White Elementary School
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City Year corps members have helped students in our partner schools succeed and, in turn, learned that the true value of service begins with making a difference one child at a time. These children often become what we call Starfish; individuals who remind us that even though we cannot help everyone, we can make a difference to someone. Below is one such starfish story.
Starfish Story
.jpg "Starfish background") | "Tiara was a fifth grade student. When I first met her, Tiara was way behind in her reading skills, reading only at a 1st or 2nd grade level. I began working with Tiara daily. We made small goals: “OK, you got 2 out of 20 on the last spelling test; next week let’s get 5!” These small goals worked, and by December she was consistently getting 10 to 15 correct answers out of 20. Her spelling was getting better but reading continued to be a problem, so we kept at it. In October, she was reading about 20 words a minute, in January we were up to 40! I noticed that Tiara needed practice reading, something she rarely, if ever, did at home. I talked to her about the importance of reading at home with her mother. One spring day when I was working with Tiara, we started reading. She was like a whole new person! A paragraph that took her 40 minutes to read before now took only 10! She credited the difference to at home reading time with her mom! I was so proud. Additionally, I had been stressing to Tiara the importance of speaking up in class. She lacked the confidence to answer questions posed by the teacher, even when I knew that she had the correct answer. I challenged Tiara to answer at least one question out loud each day. She began responding to this challenge, and started speaking up more and more. This was affecting her social life also. At lunch she used to always just sit silently. Then I began seeing her laugh and talk with other girls. I think that her increased literacy helped her gain confidence in more ways than just academics; she felt like an equal with her classmates instead of an outsider."
- Colleen Kushlak, City Year Detroit Alumna |
For more information on becoming a service partner please contact Nicole Byrd at 313-874-6861 or nbyrd@cityyear.org.