Programs

Our program goals are inherent in our name, “It Takes a Village to Educate a Child”. Since our programs address the needs of our clients, our offerings may change but the goal remains the same. While engaged in a fun, stimulating experience, we are able to teach our students the appropriate soft skills necessary to succeed in and out of school. We aim to pair our students’ interests with an activity they enjoy. The ultimate goal is to provide children, families and community partners “the village” with the services they need to:

• boost the self-esteem of children with “different abilities” through need based services
• partner with families, schools and the community to provide appropriate and equitable programs for children
• create career readiness opportunities and services for children with “different abilities”

The Need

Post Covid, schools across the United States are attempting to address the social-emotional needs of not only their students, but teachers and administrators. There are a record number of educators who are leaving the educational field due to “burn out”. Parents are less involved in the education of their children. Now more than ever, there is a need for families, educators and the community to partner with the educational system to help their children succeed. It Takes a Village to Educate a Child is committed to coaching families, educators and community organizations through this process. Sonia Marshall-Brown has community collaboration expertise and has taught college level courses on the art of Empowering Family and Teacher Partnerships.

Programs:

I. Students with Different Abilities

• Social Emotional Learning
• ES2TEAM Empowerment Workshops
• Career Readiness Services
• Summer Camp

II. Community Engagement Development

• Social-Emotional Coaching
• Family Training/Coaching
• Teacher and Administrator Training/Coaching
• Community Engagement Training/Coaching

III. Family Assistance

100 Villagers Who Care, “a movement”, is a membership group within It Takes a Village to Educate a Child. The primary purpose of this group is to provide families of children with “different abilities” the financial support they need. Oftentimes, parents of children with special needs go through many challenges as it relates to services and medical expenses; unfortunately, many specialist doctors do not accept insurance. These obstacles leave parents depressed, overwhelmed, in poor health, and financial turmoil. The resources and reserves of atypical families are more depleted than the families of typically developing children. Sonia Marshall-Brown, the founder and Executive Director, a cancer survivor, strongly believes that stress led to her diagnosis of cancer. Her goal is to alleviate some of these road-blocks by providing parents with financial donations to off-set the financial stress associated with caring for their child[ren] with “different abilities”. Sonia is committed to empowering families by providing guidance, inspiration and overall support to propel them through the child raising years. Parents will never have enough to give if their cup is empty! Members of 100 Villagers Who Care strive to rejuvenate families of children with special needs by providing financial assistance.

The Process

• Members of the group convene 4 times a year to nominate a local “family in need”
• All group members are expected to donate $100 on a quarterly basis to It Takes a Village to Educate a Child, a 501(c)(3) entity
• Only members are allowed to nominate a local family and vote
• The nominator must ensure the “family in need”, meet the appropriate criteria for nomination
• The nominator is expected to make a brief presentation in support of their chosen family
• Winners will be announced after a confidential vote on the SAME day
• Monies will be distributed to the winner a few weeks after the vote, when donations are collected
• Meeting dates, time and location will be posted on this site prior to the meeting

ES₂TEAM Empowerment Program

Piggybacks on the STEAM concept, however, it incorporates “esteem building, social skills and entrepreneurship”. By using “high interest” activities in a creative, fun way, students will become engaged in the learning process and possibly discover their “passion”. Experiential learning is a key component in our program. We encourage students to learn through exploration, discovery and their experiences.

The Benefits

Who will benefit from the program? 

High functioning children with special needs and typically developing children who are interested in ES2TEAM Empowerment, leadership and/or entrepreneurship will benefit from the program.

Benefits for children with special needs and typically developing children:

• Improved social skills and behaviors
• More opportunities for interactions/relationships with a diverse population improved ability to follow directions and work as a team player to achieve a common goal
• Expanded interests/passions
• Increased understanding and acceptance of diversity
• Leadership development
• Prepares students for an inclusive, high tech society
• Appreciation and acceptance for children who learn differently
• Decreases the likelihood of children becoming a bully.
• Students will be enriched from exposure to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math