Jerry Allen addresses Kids-U: Facebook.com
An established foundation changes its name, commits to helping high-risk Lake Highlands students complete their education.
City councilman Jerry Allen and Lt. Pam Starr with the northeast division of the Dallas Police Department spoke to neighborhood students at an area apartment complex this week. They were there to help re-launch the Kids-U program, which is the well-established Dallas Community Lighthouse under its new name.
The foundation supports the education of children, organizers say, by providing no-cost tutoring to low-income, at-risk students, specifically in the Lake Highlands community.
The group was established in 2002 “to combat one of the most profound problems in Dallas: children not completing their education,” organizers say.
“Over the past decade DCL has provided no-cost tutoring to low-income, at-risk students, specifically in the Lake Highlands community.”
Kids work after school at Dallas Community Lighthouse, now named Kids-U, to better relate to our mission and vision of educating young children, reps say: Kids-U.org
According to Kids-U materials, there are more than 100,000 students in Dallas County age 5- 13 who are unsupervised during after school hours (Today’s Children, Tomorrow’s Communities, 2006).
“We believe these are the most critical hours for the student. Our economically disadvantaged students, who are primarily Hispanic and African American, are most likely to be unsupervised due to a severe shortage of free or affordable afterschool programming in our community.
It is these student groups who are in greatest need of mentoring, academic support and guidance to alleviate the enormous risks of becoming involved in substance abuse, juvenile crime, and early sexual behavior. Most importantly it is these students who are failing to graduate,” representatives note. “We are committed that our at-risk disconnected youth and students have the tools, knowledge and self-confidence they need to succeed in today’s challenging world.”
Learn more about the program and how to get involved at kids-u.org.
