Program areas at Beacon House
Education: in a typical year, Beacon House serves annually more than 150 children and youth, ages 5 to 18, by providing after-school academic mentoring and enrichment programs in two 6,000 square-foot centers located in the edgewood commons affordable housing Community. Beacon House is unique among district of columbia after-school organizations as a place-based organization which builds relationships with children in ward 5 over many years. Beacon House has become an integral component of the social fabric of edgewood, and hundreds of children in ward 5 have received a strong foundation for future success. More than 90% of Beacon House's 12th grade students graduate from high school each year, and 3 out of every 4 of these graduates enroll in college or a technical training program within 4 months. As a result of its successes, Beacon House is now recognized as "one of the best" nonprofits in Washington, dc by the catalogue for philanthropy.
Nutrition: to ensure that hunger is not a barrier to learning, in a typical year, Beacon House provides approximately 125 free meals each day to the children we serve. In addition, we teach our students what constitutes a healthy and balanced diet, and help our students develop healthy eating habits.
Athletics: in a typical year, Beacon House also engages over 300 boys and girls annually in an award-winning athletics program which reinforces the importance of school and the prioritization of education. This program's flagship offering is a national championship-winning football program which attracts boys and girls across dc. The physical activity special interest group of the society of behavioral medicine (sbm), a multidisciplinary nonprofit with a vision of "better health through behavioral change," honored Beacon House in 2016 with its local innovator award, given to organizations making outstanding and innovative contributions to the health of a Community via physical activity promotion.