Appointment can bring Columbia Housing Authority's Moving Ahead program statewide
The model used for Columbia Housing Authority's Moving Ahead Program, an after school and summer education and tutoring program, may help other communities with their after-school programs, says Michaela Flores, program coordinator.
She recently was selected as an ambassador for Missouri's After School Network, which "builds partnerships and systems across the state that improve, support, and sustain high-quality after school programs."
Moving Ahead is held at the J.W. “Blind” Boone Community Center and Flores hopes to bring the model used in Columbia to other communities, she said. Her recent selection as a MASN ambassador came after she was asked to speak two years ago at the organization's conference by its associate director, Brad Lademann, Flores said. Last year at the conference, she hosted a training session.
"I got a lot of encouragement and support along the way," Flores said about her application to be MASN ambassador. "When I was accepted, I was really excited. I think that this role will be really good for Moving Ahead and for Columbia because it gives me a bigger, broader platform to be able to spread awareness about the importance and necessity of after-school programs."
She also is ready to learn from other after-school programs and what they do, she said. In Columbia, the Moving Ahead program is more than just about the students it serves, Flores said.
"We are really focused on positive behavior intervention support and trauma-informed care and we believe in wraparound services," she said. "We don't only help the student, we help the entire family. We want to give parents the tools to be able to carry on the things their kids are learning at the center, at home."
Moving Ahead works specifically with low-income families and at-risk youth, Flores added, noting the work done with parents is about bringing down food, health, clothing and financial insecurity barriers, among others.
"I have seen a lot of transformation in our students. They were kicked out of every program in Columbia and we were able to use these positive intervention strategies to help them reintegrate back into school or other programs," Flores said. "I also have seen the transformative power of our family development program. ... It gives parents the tools to deal with whatever current issue or barrier they face.
"If we have parents who have financial insecurity, we might do a financial literacy class. We do trauma-informed parenting classes and trauma-informed treatment groups. We have music therapists and art therapists come in. We believe in all-encompassing care."
Flores background is in Journalism and English, so she has a passion for literacy. While her background doesn't seem like a match for an after school and summer program focused on addressing behavioral issues, she has gone through various trainings and has received certifications to be able to do the work she does.
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"Moving Ahead is my very first job and the only job I have ever worked. I started here as a volunteer at 18 and then once I turned 19 was hired. I started out just as a teacher in a classroom, then became a lead staff and then behavior specialist. I then was an assistant coordinator and now am program coordinator," Flores said, adding she is exploring more education avenues, such as through social work or child development associate credentials.
She already has credentials in youth development through MASN, trauma-informed care and trauma-informed expressive arts, expressive therapy continuum and suicide prevention.
"So, throughout my seven years at Moving Ahead, I have been very fortunate to do a lot of training that gives me knowledge and grounding on dealing with behaviors," Flores said.
Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on X, formerly Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Columbia after-school program may go statewide through new ambassador
