Press Releases | December 7, 2020

At Your School and Indy Parks partner with The Mind Trust to open four new Community Learning Site locations

Marlin Jackson, the Fight for Life Foundation, and Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis also contribute resources and programming to support students at Community Learning Sites

INDIANAPOLIS — (December 7, 2020) — The Mind Trust today announced that four new Community Learning Sites are open to families in partnership with At Your School (AYS) and Indy Parks. There are now 26 open Community Learning Sites, which are small hubs that provide eLearning support and supervision at no cost to Indianapolis families with the capacity to serve 882 students.

The new site locations are:

  • AYS Liftoff at Clarence Farrington School 61
  • Bethel Park
  • Frederick Douglass Park
  • Municipal Gardens Park

“The Indianapolis community continues to meet the challenge of serving children and families during this unprecedented time,” said Brandon Brown, CEO of The Mind Trust. “Demand for Community Learning Sites is enormous, so we are grateful for At Your School and Indy Parks for meeting this critical community need at no cost to families.”

“Indy Parks is proud to partner with The Mind Trust to offer spaces for children to learn,” said Linda Broadfoot, Indy Parks director. “Parks welcome everyone, and we value that responsibility as our entire team pulls together resources and programs to help families and their communities succeed.”

Community Learning Site hours vary by location. Sites may be closed during winter break. Families do not need to pay any fees to participate, but do need to register with the site that works best for them to ensure sites can follow social distancing guidelines. Breakfast and lunch will be served daily at all sites, made possible through a partnership with Second Helpings. Interested families can go to CommunityLearningSites.org to find current locations, dates of operation, hours, and information on how to register.

To date, The Mind Trust has invested more than $488,000 into Community Learning Sites.

Indianapolis nonprofit organizations continue to offer support to the students and families utilizing Community Learning Sites. Marlin Jackson, former Indianapolis Colts player, and his Fight for Life Foundation recently donated 12 tablets and 12 wifi hotspots to Brookside Community Development Corporation’s Community Learning Site, located on the city’s east side.

“The Fight for Life Foundation is proud to donate resources to the Brookside Community Development Corporation Community Learning Site to keep students engaged in eLearning,” said Marlin Jackson, Founder and CEO of the Fight for Life Foundation. “It is so important right now to provide the kind of support Community Learning Sites offer to students and families to make sure they continue to develop social, emotional, and academic skills.”

Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis will now offer programming for girls attending sites at no extra cost to families, customized to meet the needs of each location. Each Community Learning Site can work with the Girls Inc. team to create safe in-person or virtual programming that can be either a one-time event or a four-week series. Girls Inc. will provide facilitators trained in trauma-informed care, as well as all the supplies and resources needed to host the program.

“Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis is proud to partner with The Mind Trust to provide the trauma-informed support necessary for our youth and their families to persevere during this challenging time,” said Elyssa Campodonico-Barr, President & Chief Executive Officer of Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis. “This collaborative partnership is designed to take stress away from teachers and youth development professionals, while simultaneously helping girls with self-care and personal empowerment.”

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About The Mind Trust

The Mind Trust is an Indianapolis-based education nonprofit that works to build a system of schools that gives every student in Indianapolis, no exceptions, access to a high-quality education. The Mind Trust does this by building a supportive environment for schools through policy and community engagement, empowering talented, diverse educators to launch new schools, and providing existing schools with the support they need to hire world-class talent and achieve excellence. Since 2006, The Mind Trust has supported the launch of 38 schools, 14 education nonprofit organizations, and has helped place more than 1,600 teachers and school leaders in Indianapolis classrooms. More information can be found at themindtrust.org.