Education: The first step toward a brighter future

Many children living in severely impoverished communities in the United States can’t read. Often, they drop out of school before graduation. Keeping children in school is the first step toward improving their opportunities in life, but we know that the same strategy will not work for every child in every part of the country. That’s why we’ve partnered with local organizations in Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas to tailor our programs to the particular children in those areas and their specific needs.

Working with Jackson Public School System in Mississippi, along with the YMCA, Girl Scouts and Big Brothers-Big Sisters, the StampOut DropOut program matches children with mentors to decrease drop-out rates. Computer labs as part of the Youth Development Program in South Dakota help improve children’s reading and writing skills. In the Southern Plains area of Oklahoma, the Smart Girls and Passport to Manhood programs use gender-specific techniques to educate girls and boys on proper hygiene, healthy living and weight maintenance. English as a Second Language classes in Texas teach children and family members English. As an incentive to learning, youth are hired to tutor their peers.  Across the country, after-school programs help strengthen children’s science, reading and math skills and also encourage kids to avoid gangs and drugs.

Our educational support begins long before children reach the classroom. Our Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs in the United States prepare young children for school both mentally and socially. They strongly advocate parent participation in the educational process and lending libraries give access to books and toys when families don’t have learning materials at home. To ensure children get proper nutrition, our centers provide them with a nutritional breakfast, lunch and snack. In Texas, our Parent-Child Program equips parents with childcare skills, while a bilingual program helps transition children into the public school system. For those preschoolers who can’t reach our ECD centers our home-based program provides educational support.

Diabetes represents a significant concern in many of our program areas. Our nutrition programs focus on changing this statistic by instilling healthy eating and exercise habits early in life. The Oklahoma On the T.R.A.I.L. (Together Raising Awareness in Indian Lives) program teaches diabetes prevention to children ages eight through 10. We also partner with Boys and Girls Clubs to keep children from developing diabetes through a combination of physical, educational and nutritional activities. In Mississippi, early childhood diabetes prevention programs encourage young children to increase their fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity to avoid being a victim to this disease.

We are providing a diverse population of Native Americans, African Americans and Mexican Americans with the support they need to survive and get ahead. Help us continue to empower children and change lives in the United States.