Promoting the Belief:
St. Lucie County, FL: Kids at Hope partners participated in the MLK Parade with a banner “We have a dream - All children will succeed, NO EXCEPTIONS!”
Fox Elementary School in Hanover Park, IL: Invited the entire community to attend a series of trainings introducing them to the Kids at Hope belief system and strategies.
Those in attendance included: Chief of Police and officer, Parks and Recreation officials, faith based community, parents, school board members, the Mayor of Hanover Park, Fire Chief and firefighters and many other community leaders.
Vallejo, CA Widenmann Elementary School: hosted a Successful Parenting-Successful Children workshop and had standing room only.
Phoenix, AZ Maryland Elementary School: faculty and staff wear their Kids at Hope t-shirts the first day of school and line up to create “Tunnel of Hope” where school staff and community members cheer returning students on to education victory.
Kids at Hope Pledge:
Schools, pre schools and youth groups across the country start each day with the Kids at Hope pledge:
I am a Kid at Hope.
I am talented, smart and capable of success.
I have dreams for the future
And I will climb to reach those goals and dreams everyday.
All kids are capable of success, NO EXCEPTIONS!
Hortonville Elementary School and Palomino Elementary School, along with other Kids at Hope schools have taught all students the Kids at Hope Pledge song.
This tradition was started by New River Elementary School in Arizona.
Sonoran Sky Elementary School: once a week a different group of staff or faculty appears on the school’s in-house TV station and recites the Treasure Hunter’s Pledge to all the students. By doing this students now understand the importance of these adults in their lives:
As an adult and a Treasure Hunter
I am committed to searching for all the skills
and intelligence which exist in all children and youth.
I believe all children are capable of success, NO EXCEPTIONS!
Kids at Hope Report Cards:
New River, AZ New River Elementary School: passes out their Kids at Hope Report Cards one day each year. The buses run late on this day because students can’t stop sharing the good news with each other and their teachers and staff.
Phoenix, AZ Valley of the Sun YMCA: offers Little Kids at Hope Report Cards to children participating in their pre school programs.
Kids at Hope’s Passport to the Future:
Phoenix, AZ Desert Horizon Elementary and Middle School: ensures that every “graduating” eighth grader receives their Passport to the Future thereby ensuring each student understands that they have a future filled with hope, optimism and success.
Many schools are now adopting Destination Days to compliment the Passport to the Future. Instead of just asking students what they want to be when they grow up, the Passport to the Future and the Destination Days are replacing Career Days, helping students focus on more than just a job and career. These schools are offering days focused on Home and Family, Education and Career, Community and Service and Hobbies and Recreation so that students also begin to understand the importance of their adult role at all of life’s destinations.
East Side Boys & Girls Club in Tacoma, WA- Graduation Day: all members know when their college graduation date is, thereby reinforcing high expectations for all youth.
Phoenix, AZ Amberlea Elementary School: offers students examples of College Diplomas noting their expected date of graduation and their major area study interest.
ACES Tracking
Chicago, IL Brian Piccolo Specialty School: asked students to identify those faculty and staff with who they believe they have a meaningful and sustainable relationship and who are willing to support their success.
Phoenix, AZ Sonoran Sky Elementary and Middle School: shares a school wide roster with all faculty and staff asking them to document those students with whom they have meaningful and sustainable relationship. They use the Kids at Hope Aces symbols to describe and define the types of relationship through which students benefit.
