Urban KCK Churches Provide Learning Opportunities for Students

Through the collaborative process provided by Caring for Kids, Vida Abundante Church and the Oasis KC Church have now been partnering with Frances Willard Elementary School for two years. The partnership is growing at a tremendous speed of trust, and great results of community involvement impacting the lives of students and their families are tangible more than ever. “Under Construction” was the theme of the free, one-week summer reading program which received students from seven different KCK elementary schools. The goal was to provide an opportunity that was accessible to all students and parents.

As we know, many students have limited access to books during the summer and many are not able to engage in activities to help them stay connected to learning opportunities. It is a HUGE problem that affects our students. Many students do not have the opportunity to have mentors in their lives, which according to research, puts them at a higher risk of not reading at grade level, dropping out, crime involvement and even prison.

At the reading program, volunteers became mentors, mentors became reading buddies, and reading buddies became friends with their students. Faces were shining with excitement as all kids had someone who listened to them, were read to, worked on activities together, and simply had fun. The summer reading program was a great way to help fight the summer slump and fill in the achievement gaps.