Youth, Family & Senior Services

OVERVIEW

The Youth, Family and Senior Services Department provides community outreach as well as family counseling for youth and families to enhance family functioning. Seniors receive advocacy and navigation assistance with government entitlement programs in addition to emotional support, social engagement opportunities and limited transportation services. Additionally, vulnerable seniors receive case management services. These City senior services are provided to support seniors’ self-determination and autonomy.

More than 4,000 families have been helped since 1974.

We welcome families and seniors regardless of race, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability. Our department works with youth and seniors who are dealing with a variety of issues including but not limited to bullying, HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ+, transgender, grief/loss, and social challenges.

Youth initiatives

If I Were Mayor Essay Contest

A Maryland Municipal League-sponsored (MML) event that begins in January of each year. College Park’s mayor visits fourth grade students at participating public and private elementary schools to provide a face-to-face connection with municipal government, so they can learn what it is like to be mayor. Fourth graders are invited to participate in the MML essay contest. All participants receive certificates from the Mayor. In March, Youth and Family Services staff collects the essays from each school along with the school’s identification of the school winner and sends all the essays for award consideration by MML.

Once MML results are announced at the end of April, the Mayor and Council recognize both school and MML District winners at a May City Council meeting. Each winner is recognized and reads his/her essay to the Council and the viewing public.

Lakeland STARs

Lakeland STARs is an after-school tutoring/mentoring program for children attending Paint Branch Elementary which is located in the historic Lakeland community. Lakeland STARs is a 20+ year partnership between the City’s Youth and Family Services program, Paint Branch Elementary and University of Maryland College Park Scholars. Participants are bussed weekly onto UMD campus where they receive individualized help with their homework from their UMD tutor and then engage as a group to promote the development of social skills and teamwork.

Holiday initiatives

Holiday Adopt-a-Family

The City’s Youth and Family Services partners with organizations such as the American Center for Physics staff, American Legion Auxiliary Post 217, North College Park Post Office staff, University of Maryland Terp Toy Drive, Friends Community School, Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Department, City of College Park employees and individual residents to adopt-a-family in need for the holiday season. This includes providing and distributing meals during Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, toys and clothes for children, and other items to make the holidays a little bit brighter for our local families in need.

Turkey Boxes

For over twenty years, the Friends Community School, fills and decorates Thanksgiving food baskets to donate to College Park families in need. As part of the long-standing tradition, each class fills and designs a basket to be given. Each basket contains a turkey, sides, salad, dessert, bread and more.

The City's Youth, Family and Senior Services identifies and distributes the baskets to local families in need.