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During the first two years of receiving Change Capital Fund funding, grantees have been building out their poverty-fighting models and tracking the impact of their work.\u00a0 One area of focus for three of our four grantees (Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, New Settlement Apartments and St. Nicks Alliance) has been to improve educational outcomes for kids in school, from pre-K to college.\u00a0 As the school year comes to a close, we took a look at grantees’ progress.\u00a0 They have been nothing short of remarkable, demonstrating that the supports provided by these nonprofits help students overcome even the most challenging family, institutional, and environmental barriers.<\/div>\n
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\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The grantees have provided education-related services to over 7,000 students this year.<\/div>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01,088 students enrolled in college through grantees’ college access programs.<\/div>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Over 80% of those enrolled are persisting in college, far besting the national college persistence rate of 69%.<\/div>\n
In addition, grantees are demonstrating improvements in students’ social and emotional learning, increasing acceptance rates in higher performing high schools, and improving marks in math and reading levels.<\/div>\n
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Aptly-named Transformational Coach<\/strong><\/div>\n
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When Katherine Nilson, St. Nicks Alliance’s Transformational Coach, entered David’s\u00a0life, the 8-year-old was in a bad place.\u00a0 David had been kicked out of his after-school program and was in a special needs classroom where he was being bullied.\u00a0 His grades and school work suffered and he was self-harming by stabbing himself with sharp objects.<\/div>\n
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Katherine, a passionate advocate for children who coaches over two dozen kids, worked with David’s mother to get him transferred to a St. Nicks Alliance partner school and into a new St. Nicks Alliance after-school program.\u00a0 At his new school, Katherine continued to act as his advocate – attending parent teacher conferences, meeting with school representatives, helping with homework and even chaperoning school field trips.<\/div>\n
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“Unfortunately, too many very low-income, special needs kids don’t get the support they need to thrive in school.\u00a0 They need an advocate and cheerleader to tell them, ‘you can do it,'” says Katherine. Today, David is doing better in school and in after-school and he has friends for the first time in his life.<\/div>\n
St. Nicks Alliance Transformational Coaches’ efforts are having an impact on all the students they work with:<\/div>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a094% improved their social and emotional skills.<\/div>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a084% are reading at higher levels.<\/div>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a075% improved their school attendance.<\/div>\n
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College Success<\/strong><\/div>\n
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\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/604f42c3501\/652ad620-bfb0-4298-93b2-42a61d9d0bfb.jpg\") <\/div>\n<\/td>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.ctctcdn.com\/letters\/images\/sys\/S.gif\") <\/td>\n<\/tr>\nAlendi Vidal and some of the graduates she helped.<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nIn the South Bronx just over 50% of students graduate high school\u00a0in four years\u00a0and 90% are not prepared for college.\u00a0 But these statistics aren’t stopping seniors at\u00a0the Comprehensive Model School Project\/CMSP 327,\u00a0the school’s first graduating class, who have been working with New Settlement Apartment’s College Access program counselor Alendi Vidal since 9th\u00a0grade. Their graduation rate is 81%!<\/p><\/div>\n [space_20]<\/div>\n Alendi worked to instill in all the 9th\u00a0graders the belief that every one of them could be college bound. “We started with some college visits and monthly meetings to get all the kids to see college as a possibility, especially since most will be the first in their families to go to college,” says Alendi.<\/div>\n [space_20]<\/div>\n By 11th\u00a0grade, Alendi was working with the students to pick colleges that would meet their needs and dreams, doing mock admissions interviews, and talking about majors.\u00a0 In 12th grade, she worked with 45 students one-on-one (a school-based counselor provided services to the other students) sometimes meeting weekly to help them fill in their applications, complete their essays, and identify and apply for scholarships.\u00a0 Of the 45 students, 43 are college bound and 2 are undecided.<\/div>\n [space_20]<\/div>\n Jose, who moved to the U.S. from El Salvador at age 3 and is undocumented, is one of the beneficiaries of the program. “If it wasn’t for this program, I wouldn’t even be thinking about college. I didn’t know there was a path for someone like me until Alendi told me there was.\u00a0 And she didn’t just help me apply, she was there for me emotionally and I really needed that support,” says Jose.\u00a0 Alendi helped Jose, who doesn’t qualify for Federal or State loans, apply for the\u00a0TheDream.US\u00a0and\u00a0Myself Third\u00a0Scholarships.<\/div>\n Jose is attending City College this fall.\u00a0 He hopes to one day be a teacher.\u00a0 His fellow classmates will attend schools, including: Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Albany, University at Buffalo, and others.<\/div>\n [hr]<\/p><\/div>\n [space_20]<\/p>\n Paving the Way<\/strong><\/div>\n [space_20]<\/div>\n In 2014, just 5% of students IS 171 in Cypress Hills were accepted\u00a0to a high school with a<\/p>\n
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