Department of Family Studies and Community Development
Community Agency Partnerships
Featured Community Partners
The Family Tree
The Family Tree is Maryland's leading 501 (c)(3) dedicated to improving our community by providing families with proven solutions to prevent child abuse and neglect.
During the 2012 fall semester, five Family Studies FMST 387 Community Services for Families students worked on service learning projects for The Family Tree. The group designed and presented a bullying awareness program to third and fifth graders in three public schools located in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Before their presentation, the group administered a pre-test to the students to gauge their knowledge and awareness of bullying behavior. Portions of the lesson were presented by each group member. The lesson included a PowerPoint presentation, videos and an art activity. The post-test the group administered indicated the children benefited from the presentation with a deeper understanding of bullying behavior. The students also contributed editorials about bullying to the school newspapers for parents to read.
Beyond the work involved in the bullying intervention and prevention presentation, the group volunteered at the organization’s annual “Walk for Maryland’s Children” which raises money for The Family Tree’s programs.
Collectively, the group provided 258 service hours to The Family Tree.
God's Will Apostolic Ministries
Two groups of students, in two different sections of FMST 387, provided tutoring services to children at risk in the Essex area. The Family Studies students adapted teaching and mentoring strategies to meet individual student needs, tracked student progress and collaborated with parents and teachers. Each student who was tutored improved over the semester by at least one grade level, exhibited improved confidence, and showed an increase in desire to go to college.
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