Foust Elementary School has launched a “Homework Diner” to provide families with assistance on student assignments. The new monthly program also focuses on connecting with the community and includes a meal following the help with homework.
Owensboro Public Schools Full Service Community Schools Coordinator Brian Benjamin said the initiative is part of the grant program the school received at the start of the year.
“The Homework Diner brings families together with school staff and their families, and it just creates a sense of community and provides some homework assistance for the parents and gets everybody working together,” Benjamin said.
To start, the school opted to open the program to select groups showing the most need for homework assistance. This included families in the school’s English Language Learner program.
The program also is aimed at helping families that may not have the digital literacy skills to help their students throughout the year.
Amanda Glenn, Foust’s Family Resource Center Coordinator, said that the first night, students and families continued to come in, ask for help, and learn both the lesson and the tools to accomplish the homework.
“Sometimes parents don’t quite understand how Google Classroom or some of these computer programs work, and it’s a good opportunity for them to get in the building for a positive experience,” she said.
Glenn and Benjamin noted that they hope to open the diner to all students as they grow the program. Benjamin said the school will keep track of the student’s performance to validate the program’s efforts.
After assisting with homework, Foust provides a meal for the families before they head out. Benjamin said they also hope to get the community more involved with the Homework Diner through volunteering or providing food.
