Stories of American arts, cultures, and education include histories of social Institutions and movements as well as our diverse cultural values.
Throughout the academic school year POLCARE host several Arts, Culture, and Education events for youth and their families.
The Pol Care Kidz reading program aims to inspire a love for reading through various activities and guest speakers.
POL CARE summer reading program targets children in third to fifth grades.
This summer reading program is to help decrease summer learning loss. We know summer learning loss can put a child at an academic disadvantage when school resumes. Studies suggest that students can lose up to three months of reading skills during the summer if they don’t read.
Our end goal is that all participants will sharpen their comprehension and fluency skills through our program and ready to start another academic year.
We are asking individuals, businesses, organizations, and local governments, to help us help others by becoming involved in Greater Hammond Community Services, Inc. Together we can help ease the pain of poverty in our community.
Beyond reading and writing, literacy skills include listening, speaking, and communicating. There are many activities the POLCARE offers that can help literacy development, but storytelling is one of the most complete strategies available for teaching literacy learning. Storytelling is, possibly, the oldest precursor to literacy, and every culture has used it to explore identity.
Storytelling helps children learn to understand each other’s differences. Children can listen to stories about other people and learn to empathize with those who live in different environments. Storytelling encourages children to tell their own stories orally, in writing, and in pictures. Literacy learning, which includes these three media, can be more engaging for students who have struggled to understand how words relate to their lives.
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to celebrate different cultures is through food. With such a vast array of cultures, traditions and beliefs, every family has its own food heritage and associated customs. POLCARE helps our community learn about each other by celebrating the different cultures throughout the year at quarterly We are the World Family Meal Nights. This is a night where families can learn more about their neighbors customs and cuisine.
One of the best ways to teach kids about the diversity around us is through learning culture in the kitchen. Teaching your children about different cultures by way of cooking and food isn’t just for girls either. It used to be said that boys don’t belong in the kitchen. Or even worse, that girls belong in the kitchen. Those are very false gender roles, especially when it comes to cooking. Cooking is a universal act that brings everyone together.
Cooking Matters is designed to bridge cultural differences. This is accomplished by including healthier versions of foods from many traditions, allowing people to learn through hands-on interaction, and recognizing that multiple factors affect food choices.
Culture in the Cooking Matters classroom is representative of the cross-cultural nature of America. Each diverse culture in our classrooms is something each student can celebrate and embrace in order to bring about understanding and acceptance of the concepts presented.
POLCARE Hunger and Homeless Prevention Programs are designed to support the planning, delivery and coordination of high quality services to the hungry, homeless, and those at risk of homelessness in our community. Homelessness and poverty do not discriminate.
Many Americans are living on the edge, forced to choose between basic necessities like purchasing food, paying rent, or going to the doctor.
While there has been slow but steady progress over the past thirty years, there are still a tremendous number of people around the world who live in extreme poverty.
POLCARE prides itself as being a leader in the delivery of social services to those people in our community who are truly in need. As a leader we are committed to providing those services in an efficient and professional manner.
POLCARE offers medication application assistance, affordable housing search and referrals, financial literacy workshops, job readiness and self-sufficiency workshops to those in need.
The FDIC’s Money Smart financial education program can help people of all ages enhance their financial skills and create positive banking relationships. The POL CARE team can teach people of all ages how to manage money with free, easy-to-use resources in the FDIC Money Smart Program.
