Organizations that are dedicated to helping children in poverty play a crucial role in breaking the cycle of poverty and promoting equal opportunities, while also having significant influence on the child's development and future abilities. Some organizations that are essential for kids today are listed below.
Focuses on the readiness for school through comprehensive support for the student but most importantly it also includes health and nutritional support as well (About NHSA, n.d.).
Integrates real-world problems and projects into the curriculum presented to students which enhances collaborative and practical skills for the individual child (Buck, 2023).
Fosters independence and self-discipline through a prepared environment set by the teacher which then is followed by self-directed activities for the student themself (What is The American Montessori Society, n.d.)
Global organization dedicated to improving the lives of children, while also ensuring children are healthy, educated, and protected (U.S. Programs, 2017).
Non-profit organization that provides services which support students in the grades of kindergarten to twelfth grade who are experiencing poverty in Southern California (Home, n.d.). Thier mission is to help children overcome the educational challenges posed by their living situations and to support them in achieving academic success (Home, n.d.).
The organizations described above all share a common goal which is to foster the development of children through different educational approaches. All three of these organizations emphasize the importance of hands-on, experiential learning by encouraging children to explore and engage within the classroom setting to help deepen their understanding for concepts. Further more they all promote the development of critical thinking, problem-solving, and social skills by allowing children to learn at their own pace and follow their interests.
The National Head Start Association (NHSA) is a non-profit organization which is dedicated to providing early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and families (About NHSA, n.d.). NHSA advocates for policies that strengthen these services to those in need and provide resources to enhance program effectiveness. In all NHSA's main goal is to ensure that all children from all backgrounds especially those who are impoverished have the same access and opportunity to a quality education that other student have (About NHSA, n.d.).
Project Based Learning (PBL) promotes a teaching method where a student learns by actively engaging in real-world and meaningful projects. This is done in ways such as offering workshops, courses, and resources to help educators implement a high-quality education within their classrooms (Buck, 2023). The main belief of this organization is that by focusing on criminal thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving, students are able to deepen their understanding for what they are learning to help better prepare them for success later on in life such as college, career, and life (Buck, 2023).
Montessori learning is an educational approach developed by Dr. Maria Montessori which empathizes child-centered learning through self-directed activity, hands-on learning approaches, and collaborative play. In Montessori classrooms, children make the choices about what they are learning which the teachers then provide activities which are associated to the desired topic of the students to help guide their learning (What is The American Montessori Society, n.d.) . This approach fosters independence, critical thinking, and newfound interest in learning for the students involved by allowing them to work at their own pace while also stimulating their minds with topics they want to learn about (What is The American Montessori Society, n.d.). Within a classroom that is practicing Montessori learning there is supposed to be a promotion of cognitive, social and emotional development/learning for the students who are participating within the project.
The organization Save the Children, for years has been dedicated to improving the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic opportunities (U.S. Programs, 2017). Save the Children works to ensure that children all have equal access to a quality education from an early age, and continue to provide resources and support throughout primary and secondary school to help the children develop essential skills required later in life (U.S. Programs, 2017). Secondly, Save the Children provides health and nutrition programs to help children grow into a healthy able-bodied individual, while also working to promote their physical and mental wellbeing by protecting kids from abuse, neglect, exploitation, and violence, which in turn promotes a safe family environment (U.S. Programs, 2017). Finally, the last two aspects which the organization bases itself upon is their emergency response and advocacy. Save the Children responds to crises and natural disasters which provide lifesaving relief and long-term recovery programs, while most importantly advocating for policies and programs that can improve the well-being of the children within the organization and those outside of it as well. In all, Save the Children works towards ensuring children are healthy, educated, and protected.
School on Wheels is an organization based within Southern California that provides services through volunteer work such as one-on-one tutoring and mentoring for the students that are within the grades kindergarten to twelfth grade (Home, n.d.). The volunteers within the organization are able to provide tutoring to students which can consist of helping them with schoolwork and building their confidence, while also having the ability to offer students school supplies to ensure that students have the necessary materials for their education (Home, n.d.). Another key component that makes up School on Wheels is that children are able to enroll in schools which also provide support throughout the enrollment process, while students also providing kids with the ability to be offered scholarships to both current and former students. The program offers the scholarships in order to support the educational and extracurricular activities for students who happen to be in school and out of school (Home, n.d.). Finally, the last component which the organization provides their participants is parental support which provides resources and support to parents to help them navigate the educational system and support their children's learning (Home, n.d.). In all the main mission of the School on Wheels organization is to help children overcome the education challenged posed by their living situations and to support then in achieving academic support (Home, n.d.).