Congratulations to the seventy-six preschoolers who graduated from Milwaukee’s HIPPY program on Saturday, May 13th! HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) is an internationally renowned early literacy and parental engagement program that has been shown to help kids get ready to succeed when they enter school; the Milwaukee HIPPY program is provided by [...]

Brenda Roshell is a faithful participant at COA’s Goldin Center who has lived in the Amani neighborhood for over 42 years. She is dedicated to strengthening the Amani community where she grew up, and is currently raising four of her grandchildren while working fulltime. Before the Burke Early Education Center (EEC) opened last summer, Brenda [...]

72 preschoolers and their parents graduated from COA's Home Instruction for the Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program on May 14th, at the Milwaukee Public Library’s beautiful Centennial Hall. See the picture album here. COA’s Executive Director, Tom Schneider, can’t help getting excited describing the program, “The HIPPY early education program is a core part of [...]

It’s not hard to quantify the work we do here at COA; thousands and thousands of lives have been touched-- 10,000 each year; hundreds of at-risk youth are provided scholarships to camp each summer; and 90 cents of every dollar we raise directly serves Milwaukee families. But numbers don’t always tell the whole story. Meet [...]

We are proud to recognize these Rising Stars for their tremendous leadership and personal growth throughout their participation in COA programs. Azalea and Chris embody COA's holistic mission to serve children, strengthen families, and build our Milwaukee community. Chris Morgan Chris Morgan is a mentor, leader, and coach passionate about the Amani neighborhood where he [...]

Cousins Subs awarded a $2,000 grant to COA Youth & Family Centers for its Home-based Literacy Program for Preschoolers (HIPPY). The grant funds will be used to sponsor families in the HIPPY program. Although HIPPY is free for participants, the program cost per family is around $1,000. This includes the cost of books, activities, family [...]

COA Youth & Family Centers will kick off the ninth annual Skyline Music Series in COA’s Kadish Park on Tuesday, July 7. The series is made possible by generous sponsorship support from Jim and Deb Poliak, the Law Offices of Allen Silverstein and Ron White and will include art activities for children provided by the [...]

Azalea Martinez is a junior at Riverside University High School and is a member of the school's Midwest Regional champion robotic team. But her "educational career" began when she was 3 years old as one of the first participants in COA's HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) program. As a young parent, Leticia [...]

Seventy preschoolers graduated from Milwaukee's HIPPY program on Saturday, May 16th at Milwaukee Public Library - Centennial Hall. HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) is an internationally known early literacy and parental engagement program for children provided by COA in partnership with The Parenting Network. The event included a graduation ceremony for families completing [...]

A recent article from WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio sheds light on violence and hope in the Amani neighborhood. An excerpt from the article about COA is below: "The threat of violence is always present, according to Quintrell Boyles. “It’s affecting everybody tremendously. I mean, for some of us, it’s right on our front doorsteps. For others, [...]