How to Coordinate in Your Neighborhood

Coordinators are vital communicators that enable communities to come together.

Here are the simple steps:

1. Reach out to us and tell us what neighborhoods to list (large enough that there will probably be six or more children but small enough to gather safely). We'll create a webpage so that people can reach you without accessing your email address.

2. Create a conversation (through email, person or phone) between anyone that wants to talk. Some communities need enrichment activities (i.e., art class, play time, chess club), some want small groups for classes (pods), some want both.

3. See whether something seems possible and identify if someone in the community wants to make the ideas reality. As your community starts formalizing its plan, this article contains a list of items that you may want to consider.

That's the community coordinator's entire job. There are other community coordinators that are exploring their needs too and we'll add you to a Google Group so that you can share ideas.

Here are some ideas of what other neighborhoods are doing:

1. Playtime on Wednesday afternoons (AACPS does not hold classes on Wednesday afternoons).

2. Neighborhood art class on Wednesday afternoon.

3. Ask for a Fishback Camp session on Wednesday.

4. Gather kids into grade-level pods for one hour each day. Parents take turns watching and a hired teacher (there are some on the Resources page) assists the students with math/reading.

5. Gather kids into grade-level pods for an entire day. Parents take turns watching and a hired teacher (there are some on the Resources page) guides the students through the day.

The bottom line is that the community coordinator facilitates conversation. Once that conversation begins, the community may be able to find a way to create something good for everyone.