Past and Present Campus and Community Partners
Elliot Elementary School
Our Early Childhood Education program service learning courses assist in multiple ways, and get hands on experience in a local school.
Friends of the Rouge
Our geography service learning courses participate in “Bugs, Frogs and Water” counts.
Hinkle Student Resource Center
We organize International Women’s Day, Women’s History Month and other events, and participate in Domestic Violence prevention, and create the Schoolcraft College Resource Guide.
Michigan Campus Compact
Michigan Campus Compact is the state’s support organization for service learning in higher education. Thirty-one colleges in Michigan belong to MCC, including Schoolcraft College. MCC is also a member of the National Campus Compact.
Michigan Campus Compact “promotes the education and commitment of Michigan college students to be civically engaged citizens, through creating and expanding academic, co-curricular and campus-wide opportunities for community service, service-learning and civic engagement.”
New Morning School
Our service learning music students teach music at this cooperative school.
Red Wagon Project Early Childhood Literacy Program
The Red Wagon program promotes early childhood literacy in a low income community. Schoolcraft College has been engaged in the Red Wagon Early Childhood Literacy Program in the Norwayne community (Westland) since the inception of the program, and have continued our involvement for over a decade. This diverse (minority enrollment 43%), low income community (77% of students qualify for free, or reduced price lunches) community faces multiple challenges, including low literacy levels. This award-winning program is recognized by the Michigan Association of School Boards as the “Best of the Best” and the National Association of School Boards. Educational research indicates access to books, and a literacy rich environment improves school readiness and success. If children have access to books in the spring and summer months their reading skills will be enhanced, and they will be less likely to lose knowledge gained during the school year.
Involvement by Schoolcraft College has included participation by 9 college offices, 2 student clubs, 4 Service Learning designated classes, with 160+ students, faculty and staff involved (2017). In 2016, seventy-three Westland families benefited from the program. Schoolcraft courses and participants included our Early Childhood Education, Medical Assisting and Health Information Technology programs and associated student clubs; courses including Art Education, Social Problems, and two English courses, as well as and an Individual Service Option that provided a student presentation on research correlating low literacy levels to poor health outcomes. Our Social Problems Service Learning spring course solicits donations, gathers and sorts them, and sets up the program at the community site on an annual basis.
Through our Honors Scholars, this program has even spread to India. Leadership experience by our Scholars has frequently served as the foundation for many capstone projects. Our community partners for this program include Saints Simon and Jude Catholic church, Wayne-Westland community schools, Citivan of Westland, the Eastern Michigan University Bright Futures program and more.
Sources:
Access to Print for Children of Poverty Susan B. Neuman and Kathy Roskos
American Educational Research Journal, March 20, 1993; vol. 30, 1: pp. 95-122.
Public School Review
Schoolcraft College Service Learning Program, 2017.
Schoolcraft Food Pantry
Various sociology and English courses raise funds and donations.
Service Learning Endorsement
This is an advantageous endorsement for students transferring to a university, pursuing a service profession or are interested in applying skills as they learn. To receive a Service Learning Endorsement, you must complete a minimum of 15 credit hours of classes designated as Academic Service Learning.
Student Activities Center
We partner with the S.A.C. on a number of activities including School Daze, the Multicultural Fair, Service Fridays, Earth Day, and a variety of fundraising projects. We help to gather food donations and distribute them to our students who are food insecure via the Schoolcraft Student Food Pantry.