EDUCATION
"Education is the tool that breaks down all barriers."
Studies have revealed that education plays a vital role in breaking the chains of poverty and paving the way for a brighter future. Unfortunately, individuals from low-income families in rural regions like Southeastern Madison County encounter more obstacles to education than those from more affluent backgrounds, perpetuating the cycle of poverty for another generation. Providing quality education to those in our service area is a crucial step towards eliminating poverty. Teaching fundamental life skills such as communication, persistence, and negotiation, in addition to academic subjects like math and reading, is essential. These skills will enable students of all ages to make informed decisions that lead to better opportunities and long-term success. Ultimately, learning is not just about having fun; it is about transforming our lives for the better.
Fuel Their Hunger to Learn
The CARE Center is a community collaborator with New Hope Elementary and High School, Owens Cross Roads Elementary, and Madison County Elementary and High School through the Fuel Their Hunger to Learn education initiative. Our objective is to provide students with access to enrichment opportunities, academic remediation, and emergency services previously unavailable locally. As a result, we expect students in our program to grow academically, develop age-appropriate social and emotional skills, and for their family unit to be strengthened. This is accomplished by giving students access to weekly academic support, enrichment programs, and emergency services that lead to student success, growth, and development.
After-School Programs and Summer Camps
The CARE Center continues to serve families in southeast Madison County with after-school hands-on learning programs and summer camps. These serve as a haven for more than 250 students daily at four local schools. Students and their parents rely on the program to provide homework assistance, STEM activities, reading, art enrichment, physical activity, nutritious snacks, character education, and participation in service learning activities. As a result, students enrolled in The CARE Center’s Community Learning Center programs have experienced drastic improvements in grades and behavior!
Bags of Blessings is a weekend food security program partnered with New Hope Elementary and High School and Owens Cross Roads School to provide meal packs to children who qualify for this program. In many cases, the meals at school are the only healthy food these children receive. The meal packs are distributed each Friday discreetly and help supplement children through the weekend. In addition, larger break bags are provided for Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, Christmas Break, Spring Break, and Summer Break. By delivering weekend food to children, school administrators have reported an increase in school day attendance, test scores, and a decrease in behavioral issues; ultimately allowing the children to take their focus off their hunger crisis and put it back on their school work and learning.
Volunteer Tutors and Mentors
The CARE Center provides volunteers who serve as tutors and lunch buddies during the school day at each of our partnering schools (NHES, NHHS, OCRS, MCES, and MCHS.) Volunteers work one-on-one with students and teachers to help overcome academic barriers. Lunch buddies are volunteers assigned to a student in need of a mentor. They will meet during the student’s designated lunch time, preferably one time per week. For more information regarding our volunteer opportunities, please call our main office at 256-723-2273 or email us at info@thecare-center.org.
Ignite Your Potential
The CARE Center collaborates with New Hope, Owens Cross Roads, Brownsboro, and Gurley communities through Ignite Your Potential, a workforce development program for teens and young adults ages 17-24. The objective of our program is to assist our clients with addressing personal barriers that may hinder success and provide career-training opportunities within the local community. As a result, we expect our program’s graduates to grow in employability, college preparedness, and self-sufficiency. Additionally, we help our clients gain the social and emotional tools necessary to face everyday stressors to achieve goals and sustain success. This is accomplished by assessing and addressing the individual needs of our clients.
Each client goes through an initial assessment phase to identify barriers to self-sufficiency. Then, an Individual Strategy Plan (ISP) is developed to address their unique barriers to employability and autonomous behaviors. Measurable goals such as obtaining a GED or technical training certification are included in the ISP. As clients work through their ISP, they meet with and are assessed by the career development coordinator every thirty days. Because of the ongoing client assessment, she can provide counseling, identify additional barriers to success, and adjust the ISP as needed. We measure the program’s success by the number of clients obtaining GEDs, technical training certificates, and entering other institutes of higher learning.
Ignite Your Potential includes intensive services offered to young adults to provide tangible resources to the community to help them become competitive within the workforce, obtain self-sufficiency, and sustain independence:
GED Classes
Ministry Building
5414 Main Drive
New Hope, AL 35763
Mondays & Wednesdays / 5:30 – 8:30 PM
College and Career Counseling
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Ministry Building
5414 Main Drive
New Hope, AL 35760
For more information, please get in touch with our
Adult Education Office at 256-723-2271.