Children’s Programs

Our highly successful Educational Success program at the Family Campus is designed and managed by Melva Moore, a retired teacher. The program provides quality after-school tutoring and homework help, and educational projects. It also trains parents to advocate for their children in the school system. Ms. Moore accompanies moms to school parent/teacher meetings and assists in requesting testing and in interpreting test findings. Evenings are enriched in various ways for school-age children.

For example, on Mondays they are taken to the Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington Crossing for tutoring; on Tuesdays they learn about nutrition and fitness, and gain some new skills in the teaching kitchen; birthdays are celebrated on Wednesdays; and Thursdays are split between computer time, and vocal and instrumental music sessions with volunteers from Westminster Choir College. Other evenings are devoted to artwork and family movies.

The work of our Children’s Champion program begins the moment a homeless child enters the Family Preservation Center, located at our new Family Campus, when our highly-qualified staff does an initial assessment of each child. This includes the child’s physical well-being and development, language and cognitive skills, behavior and educational background and status.

From these observations, the Children’s Champion staff formulates a case plan for the child, including goals for healthcare, mental health and school/educational success. For most of these children and mothers, it is the first time they have been seen by any sort of social service provider. Finally, these children receive whatever remedial services they need, from dental care to assistance with more serious issues such as profound hearing loss or autism, either through an appropriate HomeFront program or with a community-based provider. Even as we are acting as the child’s advocate, we are training the mothers, through our coaching and by modeling appropriate behavior, to become advocates for their children in future. Also strengthening the mother-child bond, the Children’s Champion program staff conducts numerous on-site parenting classes using an evidence-based curriculum the team has modified to meet the particular needs of this population.

The “work” that the Children’s Champion staff does for and with these homeless children is woven throughout the entire fabric of their days—and very often does not look like “work” at all! Children mired in poverty long simply to be children: happy, secure and with dreams for their tomorrows. Our Children’s Champion program makes sure these children have the sorts of positive, life-enriching experiences—and joy—every child should have. While many of these activities, on-site at the FPC and off-site, show children simply enjoying childhood, these activities are critically needed for their positive development, offering educational remediation, socialization and a sense of acceptance and security to children who have experienced enormous trauma and deprivation.

One of the most important issues many of our clients face is childcare or lack thereof. Childcare affects job and job performance.  That’s why HomeFront is committed to providing quality childcare so parents can become the best they can be on the job.

The fully certified Atkinson Child Development Center at our Family Campus is led by a professional with a degree in Early Childhood Education and staffed with professional childcare providers. HomeFront believes that every child deserves the chance to thrive in a loving, caring, nurturing and safe environment. The Childcare Center is open Monday through Friday for children ages six weeks to five years.