East Nashville Hope Exchange 2007
Children in our community face so many challenges - discrimination, economic difficulties, overcrowded schools, peer pressure, and exposure to violence and drugs. Working with families, schools, churches, and community organizations, East Nashville Hope Exchange offers a supportive environment where their gifts, hopes and dreams of children, caregivers, and teachers are nurtured and cultivated.
Transcending race, class, and religious barriers, the mission of East Nashville Hope Exchange is to create a learning community in which: children continue their learning during what are otherwise “down months;” teachers exchange ideas, best learning practices and educational tools; and parents, teachers, and the east Nashville community come together to build a support system for children that fosters confidence, learning, and growth.
At East Nashville Hope Exchange, programming focuses on developing literacy, leadership, and cooperative learning skills among 40 children. Children have completed kindergarten through 3rd grades, and the child to teacher ratio is 10:1. In each classroom, a teacher works with a teacher assistant (who is at least 15 years old and attends a high school in east Nashville) to provide a safe, secure, enriching experience to EN Hope Exchange students.
The Program
Hosting our sixth summer program, East Nashville Hope Exchange is a five-week summer program, June 18 - July 20, for children who live in east Nashville. From 8:00 am - 3:00 pm children receive two meals and two snacks each day and participate in reading and writing classes. The reading and writing component of the program uses an integrated curriculum that introduces children to an array of books, poems and articles reflecting a variety of cultures.
But EN Hope Exchange offers more than just literacy enrichment - each afternoon, children participate in music, dance, arts & crafts, athletics, and other enriching yet challenging activities. Also, during the afternoons the children participate in social action projects, converting their imaginative ideas into positive actions that impact their schools, their community, city, state, or the world. The children additionally rehearse for the Summer Finale, which is performed for parents, friends, and community leaders. The Summer Finale is an opportunity for children to share their unique gifts and abilities with the community. Finally, on Fridays, EN Hope Exchange goes on culturally enriching field trips that expand children’s horizons.
Our summer program offers more than just educational opportunities - it also includes weekly Caregiver Empowerment Dinners, which is a unique component of our program. Last year, our weekly sessions averaged an unprecedented 85% parental/ guardian/ family participation, and 100% participated in at least two. These sessions focus on such issues as health care, education, and economic challenges, while also offering caregivers an opportunity to preview the upcoming week's curriculum.
One of the most important objectives of EN Hope Exchange is to serve children who can most benefit from the program. For this reason, EN Hope Exchange operates tuition-free.
For more information about East Nashville Hope Exchange please contact St. Ann's by phone (615-254-3534) or email (office@stannsnashville.org).
