[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6194890,"mediaKeyId","3863042-6b281bfd97b983ba3a7f9079ed78a154","parentId",3863042,"title","Tenants and housing advocates urge council to revive rent-stabilization vote, tie housing stability to youth outcomes","audioSeconds",269,"startMs",1996000,"endMs",2265000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3863042-6b281bfd97b983ba3a7f9079ed78a154&start=1996&end=2265","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3863042-6b281bfd97b983ba3a7f9079ed78a154/thumbnail_1996000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6194890/Wilmington-City/New-Castle-County/Delaware/Tenants-and-housing-advocates-urge-council-to-revive-rent-stabilization-vote-tie-housing-stability-to-youth-outcomes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6194890-d4bb2d5f5ca2504f03fa03109d691ead/orig.mp4?Expires=1771083826&Signature=kJge0wO9HdKS4jD1XSQcHBSCwCiVOWuBUWOlgAwJef1GKOzlM2R~ogONQ66M~QosjZNw5N39fM3xlrdeXegQuiOOyZLxmXx2DSfpCHlo7Owib1fSuyE3FWTxZGOZgvJtWRMcUx1yk320GxZPaCcWYog0mh3LrAo4LD25p6Tca~kbgGbUgr84JmCf0LbRkYBoLkcnP2lclm76pPq748jbUpLewVKDn0AP4CXMgIHupJwCmikxCvSic~wNjGirlWEUl9kxg5kdUq4WWP2Y2NHy~0uJ3ob25~syW7N-fMHInWHkJP0sdPmxhFaQMPeCnAjK6qf~Afur9l91P7e3gqtWVg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wilmington City","date","2025-06-12T11:00:37Z","article","Housing advocates told the Wilmington City Council Education, Youth and Family Services Committee on June 11 that unstable housing directly harms students and families and urged the committee to back rent-stabilization policies that advocates said would keep children in schools.

\"When housing is unstable, everything else starts to fall apart, especially for our young people,\" said Brandon, an organizer with the Wilmington Tenants Union, during the public-comment period. He described families forced to move midyear by rent increases or unresolved habitability problems and said advocates had 70 postcards urging council to support rent stabilization.

Cheyenne Miller, representing the Homes campaign, told the committee she had a stack of postcards and criticized recent council votes. \"On June 5, you, Leticia Bracey, and Yolanda McCoy voted against rent stabilization,\" Miller said, urging council to align future votes with the needs of students, teachers and families. She added that frontline school staff often take on nonacademic supports when families face housing or food instability.

Both speakers asked the committee to treat housing as a youth-and-family issue and to bring rent-stabilization measures back for council consideration; they handed postcards to committee members during public comment. Committee members acknowledged the remarks and did not take an immediate policy action in the committee meeting.

Ending: Speakers asked the committee to return rent-stabilization to the council floor and to consider housing policy as part of a broad strategy to support students and families; no formal motion on housing was made at the committee meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Wilmington Education, Youth & Family Services Committee Meeting | 6/11/2025","oneSentenceSummary","During the Education, Youth and Family Services Committee meeting, speakers representing housing advocacy groups said unstable housing undermines student attendance and learning and urged the committee and council to support rent stabilization measures that were recently voted down.","taxTitle","Wilmington City, New Castle County, Delaware","taxId",12638,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6194895,"Council committee releases ordinance to create Office of Educational Advocacy and schedules council vote",526,4928000,5454000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3863042-6b281bfd97b983ba3a7f9079ed78a154&start=4928&end=5454","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3863042-6b281bfd97b983ba3a7f9079ed78a154/thumbnail_4928000.jpg","/articles/6194895/Wilmington-City/New-Castle-County/Delaware/Council-committee-releases-ordinance-to-create-Office-of-Educational-Advocacy-and-schedules-council-vote","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6194895-81096e26c09a8d51cd512e33cf9d002e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771083826&Signature=X9G2nO6P9BOVUaXgiskDHAkXWo9AqKDhfFC~UwyfgXHY1DNtXxOz-PFcnIUjXRwis-Exgd4b5nWcrHOqmR5oJCMK4Zx66Ly8wEt116T0SBf6PSLV-6JSc8Lk~Fv2f1r~XkPgCUcnHZcYXyyYVfzM7jtR3g1Quqy3aySXTCtDlxkNILzPahJbRObh3GIW3RcBT9MKtKnIvtoCJGtDWkXS1ctTaBKUfMtMrJns8UwbD9we0dowfwhB6wx9XCC-tr9xstbQVoobvkmH0BWVwAD1~o22p7arWmK9ruDquXxWUaeR~DAUm7XnG5CysdR3Cj9LVG3yU3s2etBjRHUm87VmmA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Wilmington City Council Education, Youth and Family Services Committee on June 11 voted to release an ordinance that would create an Office of Educational Advocacy as a division within City Council and to send the measure to full council for consideration.

Council President Trippie Congo introduced the measure, saying the office would fill a gap by providing a consistent, Wilmington-focused voice on education. \"We have been trying to have a... voice in the way our children are educated for several years now, and this is just one of us that's gonna officially introduce our office of educational advocacy,\" Congo said.

Dr. O, the office's director, told the committee the office is in a listening-and-engagement phase and offered a 90-day, phase-one plan that emphasizes empowering families to advocate, engaging legislative processes and convening strategy-driven coalitions. \"Part of this is where we are based off the conversations that we've already had, which have been about, I don't know, about 20 stakeholders already,\" Dr. O said. She said the office will create parent-facing advocacy guides, build a platform for family feedback and host interagency gatherings to coordinate city and community groups.

After discussion, Committee Chair Leticia Bracey took a motion to release the ordinance; the committee signified passage with recorded \"aye\" responses and the chair said the ordinance will appear on the next council meeting agenda. Several members — including Councilwoman Michelle Harley, Councilwoman Yolanda McCoy and Councilman Coby Owens — asked to be added as cosponsors during committee discussion.

Ending: The committee released the ordinance for full council consideration and Dr. O said the office will focus first on family empowerment, legislative engagement and coalition building; no final budget or full implementation plan was approved at committee.","The Education, Youth and Family Services Committee voted to release an ordinance to establish an Office of Educational Advocacy within City Council and discussed early work plans; several council members asked to be cosponsors.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6194900,"Parks and Recreation seeks council sign-off on $190,000 state youth-wage grant and previews summer programs",1786,4769000,6555000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3863042-6b281bfd97b983ba3a7f9079ed78a154&start=4769&end=6555","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3863042-6b281bfd97b983ba3a7f9079ed78a154/thumbnail_4769000.jpg","/articles/6194900/Wilmington-City/New-Castle-County/Delaware/Parks-and-Recreation-seeks-council-sign-off-on-190000-state-youth-wage-grant-and-previews-summer-programs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6194900-28357f252dbc6b3b830ac2c7a59ab3e3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771083826&Signature=IEjc4I7gaC0LFYOcIUNCKyN0SI346p9WLTQ41NkNRWVFZcIkb2u~S9zn2UvM0XARmQBvnsha7siTmXZT1V8aNcsO5g10mBMXEdHdkoyeo80oAn4pM4jWlB2uEHODWn-bxEBi23OqZc2ZzjH1k8izNptKljL3gnaFgKbyuKIfMEtl0G4LFRkz6QpeNNnUgwTpR4TXp8t1gOD2zSpJdmO3imaT551P3haoaCXoANES9wHvmsZTSA~0R8Bkp~5hssl0srJ9g~eB4KVMh5Ne-f5B4yHqbr9hOF~WKjvi5Blr5ebRimq0hre~YsPxEsQhJkr4wGINBOWuD035Tgbnhzvqpw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Wilmington Department of Parks and Recreation told the Education, Youth and Family Services Committee on June 11 that it applied for and is seeking committee alignment on a $190,000 grant from the Delaware Department of Labor that would fund summer wages for city youth.

\"The grant is for... the total grant which is $190,000 being offered from the Department of Labor. It funds wages only for the youth and specifically wages for up to 300 workers,\" Acting Director Dr. Melody Phillips said. She told committee members the awarded funds would pay youth at $15 an hour for up to 20 hours a week, with workforce-track assignments running eight weeks and traditional internships seven weeks.

Dr. Phillips asked the committee to align with the department's application so the city could accept and use the funds for summer youth wages; committee members indicated support and asked to be cosponsors on related items. Because the request took the form of a resolution to approve a grant application, staff advised the committee that the resolution did not require an immediate committee vote to move forward.

Beyond the grant, Dr. Phillips gave an overview of summer operations: camps for ages 6–13 (current enrollment at capacity with a waiting list), a fitness-in-the-parks program, Play Streets events across all eight council districts and a new youth entrepreneurship program planned for the fall. She announced the department's first youth-led \"Next Level Youth Summit\" on Aug. 14 at the Community Education Building and said the department will deploy mobile recreation units and pop-up programming this summer.

Council members asked about logistics for senior fitness at Herman Holloway Park during planned renovations; Dr. Phillips said she would confirm details and noted the department intends to retain existing fitness equipment where possible.

Ending: The committee added cosponsors and acknowledged the department's request; no committee-level rejection or alteration of the grant was reported.","The acting director of Wilmington Parks and Recreation told the education committee the Department of Labor offered a $190,000 youth-wage grant that would fund wages for up to 300 young workers this summer and described camps, Play Streets and a youth-led summit on Aug. 14.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6194904,"Gift Connect outlines birth-to-3 literacy and parent-support program for Wilmington",874,2319000,3193000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3863042-6b281bfd97b983ba3a7f9079ed78a154&start=2319&end=3193","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3863042-6b281bfd97b983ba3a7f9079ed78a154/thumbnail_2319000.jpg","/articles/6194904/Wilmington-City/New-Castle-County/Delaware/Gift-Connect-outlines-birth-to-3-literacy-and-parent-support-program-for-Wilmington","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6194904-3210a0e1ca351536926cb1e185b51ef5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771083826&Signature=PMfu3zlLrDte6YcqFnOYbSsuBObvb9vK4B8fmMu7ZEdeW8bchKah-A5O0n7bzt1T2qYThVDQXlZngMEsKImFQ3FmfiJw4yLCdWl7c9LfuZu4kJk2t7AF6oFPbjo-xistdfjT3iZNcKBgbbVkrgPHYvO08UnHPrfWrTMH25KqnXH1geecgcEmS6UFUyugcIi7Ay~w1VNvpPGel5IvDTeAgIvmF8KQkKeCHtJ3tBaU9p7a2M6hC0B8ghtA-QhVpoIvW7fTAi3Wtun~~0hxl3Td2rc3CKFtb9nbdensmSokTO~0PGahT2NcQR97XccxXvHr7bC2twLKiczajbh6wH16Aw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Gift Connect representatives told the Wilmington City Council Education, Youth and Family Services Committee on June 11 that the nonprofit will launch a birth-to-3 program in Wilmington this fall aimed at strengthening early bonding, parent caregiving practices and kindergarten readiness.

\"Gift Connect's mission is to amplify the importance of birth to 3 development,\" said Jessica Gibson, a presenter for Gift Connect, describing a curriculum that uses music, \"edutainment,\" technology and community pop-ups to train caregivers and build local peer leaders. The group said it will adapt lessons from a literacy project it runs in Kenya and from national models discussed at a recent symposium.

Gift Connect said its model combines short multiweek cohorts and intermediate pop-up events. Kima Fouldens, identified in the meeting as the organization's early education consultant, told the committee the sessions include \"six loving habits,\" a lullaby component and a song-generator app that the nonprofit has launched on Apple devices; an Android version is under development. The presenters said the program includes food- and nutrition-literacy elements and trauma-informed parent supports.

Program milestones cited to the committee include a planned October–December first cohort and aims that organizers described as a year-one target of training roughly 125 caregiver leaders and delivering in-home and pop-up sessions to an initial group of families. Gift Connect said it held a local symposium with 65 participants and is partnering with local organizations including Eastside Charter School (STEM Hub), Kingswood Academy, My Sister's Keeper, A Better Chance for Children, Network Connect, the Community Education Building and faith-based groups.

Council members praised the initiative and asked about links to state policy and child-care providers; presenters said they are coordinating with Delaware Health and Social Services home-visiting and child-care networks and are discussing advocacy steps for early-childhood policy. Gibson said the organization is \"being careful about what we lobby for and how we lobby\" while partnering with existing advocacy groups.

Ending: Gift Connect plans to begin cohorts in October and asked council and community partners to help recruit caregivers and host pop-ups; no committee vote was taken.","Gift Connect told the education committee it will launch a birth-to-3 literacy and caregiver program in Wilmington this fall, combining music-based activities, an app and community pop-ups to train parent leaders and promote kindergarten readiness.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6194909,"Eastside Charter credits staff retention and STEM Hub partnerships for sharp gains on state assessments",1859,441000,2300000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3863042-6b281bfd97b983ba3a7f9079ed78a154&start=441&end=2300","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3863042-6b281bfd97b983ba3a7f9079ed78a154/thumbnail_441000.jpg","/articles/6194909/Wilmington-City/New-Castle-County/Delaware/Eastside-Charter-credits-staff-retention-and-STEM-Hub-partnerships-for-sharp-gains-on-state-assessments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6194909-4ac311ba6abedfb29a6906dfae56e36d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771083826&Signature=E6pB7a7NlWMXLogKsG2MI~ZgK7w8ku5-F0ZWKd19HT9uIIJsxKgcrS8kxq9c60t627jXOK5D8K0T0jC~WQCTtFUKBp0vtINFclj4azk6-2MXt9eKD~Ww~8SRsO3lYEFmb7WAHXnknjN8a6nnoq7PqgbOiu6Iwhrx-ro8a8DY21gShMEjqO7LZwSJKHZPe8Re3my6yfdICq3Q6Twb7YBMDqtaUF-1kWnuA3C0kKvoDlPd50hkrJazHoHDjG5BUdDM460BT8YQ7khfmPqifbtHK3GsD7oopqk4J4M1PdVGfXhVZAgBGEKqIScc4KIPAZDL~o1QuzANw29l1d9S~6oukg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Eastside Charter School leaders told the Wilmington City Council Education, Youth and Family Services Committee on June 11 that the school’s same-student cohorts have shown large year-over-year test-score gains while a newly opened STEM Hub is expanding workforce-development training for families across Wilmington.

\"The same students for us have increased by 25%... our students started off in '22 at 27% proficient, grew to 52%,\" said Dr. Aaron Bass, a presenter for Eastside Charter School, describing the school's English language arts results compared with state averages. He added that Eastside's eighth graders have earned more than $250,000 in private-school scholarships this year.

The nut of Eastside's pitch to the committee was twofold: classroom learning improvements and a community-facing STEM Hub intended to boost family employment. \"One theory of action that we had was to focus on if our parents and our families are able to have better success in workforce development, then they would also then have better success as far as our children,\" said a presenter from Eastside before turning the presentation to Ray Rhodes, who described workforce cohorts based at the hub.

Rhodes told the committee the hub ran a first cohort with Delaware Technical Community College that drew \"over 200 and some\" expressions of interest and enrolled 25 students; 19 obtained certifications in areas including phlebotomy, certified nursing assistant and emergency medical technician, and several received job placements or placement help. \"We were able to get 25 students in the class. 19 of them received certifications in phlebotomy, CNA, emergency medical tech, and dialysis technician,\" Rhodes said. He described a current BioConnect cohort that also enrolled 25 from more than 135 applicants and is working with employers for placements after an eight-week training.

Presenters described multiple private- and nonprofit-sector partners using the STEM Hub as a training site, including Fluxpace, Future First Gaming, University of Delaware, Code Differently and local employers; some programs are open to the public and include internships, stipends and certification pathways. Committee members asked about kindergarten coding, teacher retention and student demographics; Eastside said coding instruction starts in kindergarten and highlighted a staff retention rate above 93% as a factor in sustained student growth.

Committee members and presenters framed the hub as both a pipeline into living-wage work and a mechanism to support students’ academic growth by stabilizing family employment. \"We're trying to uplift the entire community,\" Eastside's presenter said. The presentation closed with an invitation to council and the public to tour the STEM Hub and to use its workforce programs.

Ending: The committee did not take formal action on the presentation. Council members thanked Eastside leaders and said they would follow up on enrollment, partnership and replication opportunities across the city.","Eastside Charter School officials told the Wilmington City Council education committee that the school’s students have outpaced statewide recovery from COVID-era learning loss and that a new STEM Hub is expanding workforce and family services across Wilmington.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Tenants and housing advocates urge council to revive rent-stabilization vote, tie housing stability to youth outcomes

Council committee releases ordinance to create Office of Educational Advocacy and schedules council vote

Parks and Recreation seeks council sign-off on $190,000 state youth-wage grant and previews summer programs

Gift Connect outlines birth-to-3 literacy and parent-support program for Wilmington

Eastside Charter credits staff retention and STEM Hub partnerships for sharp gains on state assessments