A few students who are married have faced problems with day care centers. They need to have such provisions made so that their kids can tag along and be near them. Now there is something more that is going to be available. At the Advantage Academy, a program which is offered by the City’s department of Homeless Services, now homeless people can also try and earn a degree. This is a huge surprise as for such people basic survival itself becomes a question.
People like Fallon Coffer who is just 22, she can now go to classes in the morning, then be with her child and then work as a taxi dispatcher in the night. Now she can do this without worrying about having a roof on her head and the safety of her child. Her normal day is like this; after classes, she goes back to the shelter, changes into something comfortable, does some homework, plays with her son and then drops him off at her mother’s home. Then she rushes back to work.
From the last month onwards, the academy offers an inaugural class and most of them attending these are single mothers below the age of 30. This is a first of its kind and a university has now joined them to offer a proper course degree.
Many similar programs are starting across the nation now. At Bard College, they provide a college-level course where you can earn up to six credits. This is made available to people who cannot afford to study and now there are about 20 such programs throughout. But this is not specifically for the homeless people.
It is a great start, I would say. The very aim of the Advantage Academy is to make a break through, through poverty and this can be done through education. It will have its challenges but it is a positive step at least. Students are already struggling to make to college because of the lack of scholarships or grants given by financial institution and not all can afford to pay the fees. But these programs are brilliant. It not only boosts the confidence of the poor people but also encourages them to study and work together. Else they wouldn’t be able to do it.
Whoever said that the world is a bleak picture will now have to say that there is a new glimmer of hope. Education is one of the most important things. It will help to eradicate ignorance and spread awareness and understanding. One must learn and this process never comes to an end. So all those out there who crib about how much they have to study should take a cue from here and look at life differently.