After-School Programs

Community Empowerment Association

Positive social interactions and opportunities supported by positive adults.

St. James Catholic Church

(Family support)
718 Franklin Ave.
412-241-1392

Neighborhood Learning Alliance

The Wilkinsburg School District has partnered with the Neighborhood Learning Alliance to provide after-school programming to students in grades K-6. Children are referred to the program by their teachers. The children receive academic support in reading and math along with enrichment with a focus on STEM education. Children also receive dinner and a snack. The Wilkinsburg Library and Frick Pittsburgh provide enrichment on site to our students.

Mission: Our mission is to improve the education and opportunities of African-American and lower income families through strategic partnerships with community and faith-based organizations.

Vision: We envision thriving children, families, and communities anchored by a network of accountable, collaborative community, educational, and faith organizations.

History: Neighborhood Learning Alliance (NLA) was founded in December 2003 and known as “Wireless Neighborhoods” until 2011. NLA was created to improve the capacity of community and faith organizations to respond to issues that affect the lives of children and families in the neighborhoods they serve. Due to the alarmingly low levels of academic proficiency, particularly for children in Pittsburgh’s African-American and lower-income neighborhoods, we focus a majority of our efforts and resources on improving the quality of after-school programming. NLA students enjoy truly innovative, professional, youth-friendly instructional environments that set the standard for community after-school practices.

CREATE After-School

CREATE After-School is a program created by Center for Civic Arts, in partnership with Wilkinsburg’s Turner Intermediate school students and families and Christian Church of Wilkinsburg. Through the arts, students build character, confidence and creative thinking necessary to be peacemakers in an urban community like Wilkinsburg which has known too much violence. The arts provide a healthy outlet for expressing powerful emotions which may be the result of trauma. Students have the opportunity to choose between hip hop music and lyric production, art integrated visual arts, dance, photography, and theater. The arts allow youths to deal with trauma or other negative experiences by providing an alternative way to express negative feelings, insecurities, and vulnerabilities, rather than acting out in destructive ways (Vice 2012).