Kyra Glover

Practical Proposal
R. Andrew Brown
UWRT 1103-004
1/28/15
For the practicum I decided to observe A Childs Place (ACP), which helps give homeless
children the same educational opportunities as other children. ACP was started in 1989 by a
group of women who saw children playing during school hours because they could not go to
school without a permanent address. After this encounter, the women began a school for 27
homeless children and called it A Childs Place. Since 1989, ACP has only grown and in the
last year has helped 2,843 homeless children enrolled in public school.
I chose to observe this place because I love the idea of it; children are the future and
anything that helps better the chance of them going on the right path I want to be a part of. I am
interested in what ACP does and their incredible results in helping children. Also, since I am
considering working with troubled kids this experience and shadowing the people involved will
give me some insight. I would like for you to approve of my practicum because I feel as though
it will help me in my future endeavors as well as give me a deeper understanding into
homelessness.
Through ACP there are three options to volunteer for, which include being a lunch buddy,
tutor, or a classroom assistant at one of many elementary schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
area. A lunch buddy provides a mentor for a child and once a week I would have lunch with the
buddy, talk, play games, or read. A tutor helps an assigned student weekly with homework or
studying for a test. Lastly, a classroom assistant goes to an assigned class once a week for two
hours and simply assists the teacher with different tasks. I want to become a classroom assistant
because I get to see both sides of ACP, from the teachers perspective as well as the students. I
have not confirmed what classroom or time I would be assisting yet since I am going to the
orientation on Thursday, January 29th. However, I do know that the person I will be shadowing as
well as helping is going to be a teacher. I will work this into my schedule by being a classroom
assistant once a week and then possibly a lunch buddy in between classes when I can. I want to
shadow ACP because I want to make a difference in a childs life and gain as much experience in
different fields that interest me so that I can determine what path I want to pursue as a career.
My back up plan is to observe Time Out Youth (TOY). This is a place where LGBTQ
youth can go to have a welcoming community. TOY is where everyone is not judged and can be
themselves. I wanted to know if there was a possibility that I could write about this as well since
I have to participate in it for my LBST for up to 25 hours. I wanted to do both because it would
give two different experiences and more for me to write about, plus I already have to be a part of
it for LBST so it is not going out of my way.