Fall 2023

“I am thankful for” collage, Park School (October 2023)

We're Back at School!!

Homework Central opened on the first day of school, August 15th, at San Mateo Park Elementary, and on September 4th at our Sunnybrae and Baywood sites.

We’re thrilled to report that we also opened at a new school, Laurel Elementary, with service to 40-60 students!

Students are excited to be back! They have already started producing stellar art work like the one you see above. It is wonderful to be back after summer and to see the happy faces of our students!

Halloween Decor at the Baywood Literacy Center (Fall 2023)

Speaking of Summer ...

Homework Central hosted its first ever summer program in July-August 2023 at College Park Elementary with 43 registered students!

As many of you know, our students do not have the opportunity to attend fun summer camps, and unless they have been selected to attend summer school, our students, who are already behind in school, experience a “summer slide” or summer learning loss. Our summer camp students worked on some English and Math, followed by music, science and art  – and of course, free play, in a relaxed and fun setting!

A big thank you to the San Mateo Foster City School District and Superintendent Diego Ochoa for situating our program on the College Park Elementary campus, providing a nutritious breakfast and lunch, as well as transport for our students. We couldn’t have done it without them!

Staffing News - And We're Still Hiring!!

Meet our Amazing Staff

We have a whole slew of staff members – most returning, and several new. 

Introducing our dedicated and talented site teams:

• Susan Kling (Site Manager), Jaylyn Krahne (Site Coordinator), and 6 Site Assistants for managing extended hours at Park Elementary
• Nancy Diaz (Site Manager and Literacy Program lead), Skyler Green (Site Coordinator) and 4 Site Assistants at Baywood Elementary
• David Light (Site Coordinator) and Elaine Kauffman (Site Assistant) at Sunnybrae Elementary
• Nikki Medrano (Site Coordinator) and Jessica Nimni (Site Coordinator, Literacy Program) at Laurel Elementary

Get to know more about our team on our website!

Do you know any good Site Assistant candidates?

We have open positions for 5 Site Assistants – if you or anyone you know, is motivated, enjoys tutoring and working with kids, and is interested in a part time (8-10 hours a week) job, please apply! It is a perfect position for aides in local schools, high school or community college students, at-home parents, or retirees.

The job descriptions and other details are at our Careers page

         CuriOdyssey brings Science to Park HWC Classroom (Fall 2022)

The Year in Review and a Look Ahead

Homework Central is growing! We began the last school year with 4 locations on 3 schools.

• We opened a Literacy Center at Baywood after a successful pilot the previous year
• We extended hours at Park Elementary in response to changed bus schedules, going until 6 PM, 5 days a week and extending our programming from 8 hours (of tutoring, mainly) to 17 hours. We used the extra time to provide a wonderful array of culture and art, science, nutrition and activity, literacy enrichment like journaling and reading, and math enrichment
• We hosted our first ever summer program
• And this school year, we added a new school, Laurel Elementary

The last school year has been a great year and promises to be just as good this school year!

Exhilarating, creative, fun, and yes, stretching our resources very thin, given that our work is very labor intensive, tutoring in small groups of 4 students to a tutor. 

In one of my first newsletters, I spoke of the strength of the "power of intention" coupled with hard work and community support. I invite you join us in this journey of helping students learn, grow and thrive.

• If you can spare a few hours, please consider becoming a volunteer tutor (email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
• If you or anyone you know might be a fit for a Site Assistant role, please apply for a rewarding job (email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
• And if you can give, please consider investing in our children's future by donating.

 Homework Central turns 25!!!

Save the date: Friday, March 22, 2024, 6-8 PM

Homework Central is celebrating 25 years of unlocking children’s potential with a Gala fundraiser!! Details to follow.

We could not have gotten this far without you! Thank you for your partnership and support.

Gratefully,

Padma Gargeya

Executive Director