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Rutgers University supports the LEAP Academy through school-based
Centers of Excellence. These Centers are staffed and operated by
Rutgers University and provide an opportunity for faculty, staff
and students to develop and deliver multidisciplinary, collaborative,
and long-term processes and programs to address the challenges of
urban families and children. The Centers of Excellence include:
The Rutgers Early Childhood Literacy Initiative is a comprehensive
effort to strengthen early childhood education and family literacy
in Camden City. Combining theory and practice, the program provides
parents and educators opportunities to develop skills necessary
to become change agents and improve early childhood literacy development
at home and in the classroom.
This comprehensive training program serves over 2,115 children each
year, 282 teachers and paraprofessionals, 80 directors and administrators,
along with 600 parents. It operates in approximately 150 preschool
classrooms in the city of Camden.
The project brings together Rutgers University's CSUCL as the lead
partner, the Children's Literacy
Initiative, and the Camden Abbott Early Childhood Program, funded
through grants from the John
S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the William
Penn Foundation in a collaborative effort to:
 Improve teacher
competency,
Increase parental
engagement,
Strengthen leadership
capacity and
Integrate on-going
evaluation and assessment
Addresses the health and well-being of children and families of
Camden. The Center, located in the LEAP Academy, offers a full range
of Health and Human Services, including a primary health care clinic.
As a result, the clinic provides a model for the integration of
health and human services in charter schools nationwide, particularly
those in medically underserved urban areas. Staffed by a full-time
nurse practitioner, a nurse- midwife, medical assistants and social
workers, the Center is accessible during day and evening hours.
Providing students and teachers with programs geared at preparing
our students for taking the Advance Placement examination.
The Rutgers Parents Academy for School Reform is aimed at improving
public education in Camden City and helping Camden residents become
better parents, better leaders in their communities, and more effective
advocates for their children's education.
The focus of the Parents Academy for School Reform is on making
parents effective participants in the overall educational development
of their children by increasing parenting skills that are necessary
for sustained, effective participation in public schools. This is
intended to enhance the academic achievement of children of participating
parents, including grades, attendance, and disciplinary issues.
The Pre College Program college awareness and readiness program
brings teachers, staff, and parents together to help students prepare
for college by promoting college awareness and interest, promoting
high academic standards, and committing the resources to developing
the academic potential of each LEAP student.
Technology is a key component of LEAP's curriculum and overall philosophy.
Each classroom is equipped with at least two computers and the school
has full Internet access for teachers and students. LEAP students
regularly use technology to write, problem solve, conduct research,
and build knowledge and understanding.
The Rutgers/LEAP Law Clinic provides school-based legal services
for families, with respect to housing issues, public benefits, and
family law. A pro-bono panel of attorneys from the Camden Bar Association
provides free representation to families.
Parents are represented by third-year students in the Rutgers Camden
Law School Civil Practice Clinic, under the joint supervision of
Alice Dueker, Director of Clinical Programs and Traci Overton, Clinical
Staff Attorney. |
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