“Each child belongs to all of us and they will bring us a tomorrow in direct relation to the responsibility we have shown them.” - Maya Angelou COA Youth & Family Centers is proud to celebrate Black History Month by engaging children of all backgrounds in fun and educational activities that honor Black history and [...]

Teresa is a mother of three who participated in COA’s 2019 HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) program with her daughter Rosa. Teresa became aware of HIPPY during a presentation led by HIPPY staff at her daughter’s school. Teresa signed up on the spot, and soon received a call from HIPPY to enroll [...]

On Friday, June 19, COA Youth & Family Centers held a Juneteenth celebration in Moody Park, adjacent to COA’s Goldin Center in Amani. An estimated 100 people joined together for a fun and uplifting day full of community-centered activities including COA staff, children and families, volunteers, residents, and community members of all ages. Juneteenth is [...]

Jocelyn is a 16-year-old junior at Riverside University High School. Raised on Milwaukee’s North Side, Jocelyn began attending COA’s teen program at the Goldin Center in 2017. She came every day after school to receive homework help. When she first began in the teen program, Jocelyn was closed-off, anti-social and distanced herself from her peers. [...]

On Friday, November 8th COA celebrated National STEM Day with our 3rd Annual STEM Expo held at our Goldin Center (2320 W. Burleigh Street). Over 120 youth ages four to 14 from multiple COA sites attended the Expo to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. 18 themed stations lined the gym at the Goldin Center, [...]

"What in our lives has been around for 114 years? And yet here we are…" Last month COA Youth & Family Centers held its 2019 Annual Meeting and Awards Presentation. COA board members, staff and volunteers gathered at the Wisconsin Club to celebrate COA’s incredible impact over the past year, and to honor the remarkable [...]

This story was originally published in COA's 2019 Annual Report. Read the whole report here. Darian is a three-year-old biracial child enrolled at COA’s Riverwest Early Education Center. When Darian joined COA’s Riverwest Early Education Center at age three in January 2019, his teacher Ms. Shawndra quickly noticed his antisocial behavior.  He refused to share [...]

Thanks to generous support from Herb Kohl Philanthropies, COA brought another group of teens to Washington, D.C.! COA’s inaugural D.C. visit was such a positive experience for teens last year that COA staff and youth were eager to make the incredible journey happen again in 2019. This past June, 23 new teens and seven chaperones [...]

On Friday, May 17th COA welcomed approximately 60 youth from six COA sites for COA’s 2nd annual Kohl’s Explore Your Future STEM Fair at the Goldin Center. In order to prepare for the STEM Fair, youth worked hard for two months to complete group STEM projects. These projects were displayed around COA’s Goldin Center gym for [...]

On Sunday, April 28th COA youth debuted their short film “Exposure” at a screening held at Milwaukee’s No Studios. Community members, COA staff, family and friends enjoyed two special screenings of the film, a performance from COA teens, delicious refreshments, and an eye-opening Q&A session with COA’s young filmmakers. Nearly two years ago, COA collaborated [...]