Family, School, and Community Roles in Out-Of-School Time

The case involves an eight-year-old girl named Cindy who is the focus of what is taking place in the case. She is from a family of a single mother who is not financially stable and has to work long hours or two jobs at ago to provide the basic needs for her daughter. Marla, Cindy's mother, does not like her situation. She would especially love to spend more time with her child, but she needs to work to ensure that she provides for Cindy. Nikki is Cindy's elementary school teacher, and she is primarily concerned about Cindy's after school activities as she finds the little girl playing in the parking lot outside her mother's working place. She is most concerned about the lack of supervision as the child plays and the environment filled with numerous dangers. Shellie is the school counselor who has helped Cindy gets into the friendship camp through sponsorship on multiple occasions. She would love Cindy to be involved in the coming camp through her mother Marla has not yet paid the little amount of money needed for the camp. Ed the school principal is involved in organizations in the community that offer out of school activities to students, and he often supports these events for his students. Therefore, the systems involved in the case are Cindy's family, her school, and the community. The problem arising is Cindy's engagement in beneficial and safe after-school activities. She is currently unable to access the activities due to her mother's financial constraints and the lack of communication between the parties involved in Cindy's welfare. It is, therefore, necessary that Nikki, Marla, and Shellie find time to talk and identify where the issue is primarily on Marla's side as Cindy's mother. The school, Cindy's teacher, and the school counselor need to understand Marla's financial difficulty and her reservation concerning the activities that Cindy is involved in. Marla also needs to explain to them about her desires to be a chaperone so that she is involved more in the activities that Cindy engages in (Quigley, 2000). It is also important that they listen to Cindy, find out her issues, and want she desires. The job that Marla gets at the cafeteria of the local hospital will, however, help solve a number of the issues as Marla will have more time in the afternoons to spend with Cindy, and she can afford some of the activities that may have been hard to pay for.

I have encountered some experiences similar to what is happening to Cindy and her mother. They are often what I encounter in the community I live in. I have a neighbor who is also a single mother with a daughter. They often seem to struggle financially as the mother is always away at work and sometimes the daughter will come to spend time at our place as her mother works. Another case I have encountered also involves a single mother who takes her child to work with her after school, as she cannot afford to pay daycare for the child after school. The third case is a mother who has two children attending elementary school. The son is a few year older than the girl is and he is often left to care for the sister as the mother works. The other experience is of two siblings from a nearby children's home. I often see then walking back home from school alone, and in some instances, they will be playing on the streets as they walk home.

References

Quigley, D. D. (2000). Parents and Teachers Working Together To Support Third Grade Achievement: Parents as Learning Partners (PLP) Findings.