The Family Connection Kindercamp
Donation protected
My name is Nicholas Midler. I'm a 17-year old living in San Diego, California, and I am the founder of The Family Connection Kindercamp, a six week non-profit summer camp on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
I started the camp, which works in partnership with the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI), after living on the islands for five years with my family. As I as I learned more about the devestating education statistics among VI youth – 53% tested as below proficient in language skills and 47% don’t have a high-school diploma. I knew I wanted to do something to improve their lives, and that's why I started The Family Connection Kindercamp.
We are now entering our third year of operation and we're excited to announce that we will be doubling our teaching staff this year. Our program employs a child-led learning model that puts students in charge of their daily lesson plans, and the larger staff will help give the kids the individualized attention they need. All funds from this campaign will go towards our operational budget.
We have served 105 children in our first two years and expect to have 80 more this year. The children that have completed the program are a testament to the success of our methods. An independent review authored by Elizabeth Jaegar, an early childcare Ph.D. at St. Joseph's University, noted that “during the last week of the program, the classrooms appeared to be ‘well-oiled machines’ where children moved smoothly from a large group activity to choice time at various learning stations throughout the room.” The report even describes one child who "cried and pleaded" with his mother to stay longer when the day is over. This is after many of the children started the program with virtually no english skills and no experience in an organized classroom.
The first day of camp is June 27th and we hope to have much of the money raised by that time to help pay for our increased staff size. Funds raised throughout the summer will go towards improvements for 2017. Any amount you can give is appreciated.
Thanks so much for your support.
The Family Connection Kindercamp in the Media:
-The NonProfit Times
-Top Nonprofits
-The St. Thomas Source
I started the camp, which works in partnership with the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI), after living on the islands for five years with my family. As I as I learned more about the devestating education statistics among VI youth – 53% tested as below proficient in language skills and 47% don’t have a high-school diploma. I knew I wanted to do something to improve their lives, and that's why I started The Family Connection Kindercamp.
We are now entering our third year of operation and we're excited to announce that we will be doubling our teaching staff this year. Our program employs a child-led learning model that puts students in charge of their daily lesson plans, and the larger staff will help give the kids the individualized attention they need. All funds from this campaign will go towards our operational budget.
We have served 105 children in our first two years and expect to have 80 more this year. The children that have completed the program are a testament to the success of our methods. An independent review authored by Elizabeth Jaegar, an early childcare Ph.D. at St. Joseph's University, noted that “during the last week of the program, the classrooms appeared to be ‘well-oiled machines’ where children moved smoothly from a large group activity to choice time at various learning stations throughout the room.” The report even describes one child who "cried and pleaded" with his mother to stay longer when the day is over. This is after many of the children started the program with virtually no english skills and no experience in an organized classroom.
The first day of camp is June 27th and we hope to have much of the money raised by that time to help pay for our increased staff size. Funds raised throughout the summer will go towards improvements for 2017. Any amount you can give is appreciated.
Thanks so much for your support.
The Family Connection Kindercamp in the Media:
-The NonProfit Times
-Top Nonprofits
-The St. Thomas Source
Organizer
Nicholas Midler
Organizer
Anna's Retreat, United States Virgin Islands
