Paul’s Place began in the fall of 2000 as a response to the mainly Haitian-American children living in the neighborhood surrounding the church who were in the need of a safe haven and homework help. The Vestry recognized the need, contributed the seed money and the program was formalized with the hiring of a full-time Director. Since 2000, the after school has served more than 125 elementary, midd
le and high school students providing them with an environment filled with caring mentors who tutor the students and assist with homework to improve academic performance, social skills and self-confidence. Our goal is to give the students the tools and support they need to stay in school, graduate and go on to college or viable jobs. Currently, Paul’s Place currently welcomes 30 students each school day. Eighteen of the students are in elementary school, 10 are in middle school and 2 are in high school. They begin arriving about 2:15 pm and stay until 7:00 pm. During those hours the students receive tutoring, work on social skills, have a nutritional snack and a balanced family-style meal, participate in a variety of extracurricular activities and enjoy an “earned” Friday field trip. School visits are regularly arranged to meet with guidance counselors to make sure our students remain on track. Although academics are an important focus at Paul’s Place, we frequently provide a variety of non-academic services to our children and their families in order to promote their overall well-being (e.g., social service referrals, medical appointments, transportation needs, clothing, food, etc).
