Program areas at Better Basics
The HOPE 21st Century Community Learning Centers are our largest program. It advances learning and curiosity during out-of-school hours for pre-K through 12th-grade children in every school in Alabama's Fairfield City School System. HOPE provides education and enrichment services throughout the school year and during the summer. During the 2021-22 academic year, we reached 174 pre-K and elementary students and 39 middle and high-school students. The HOPE 2022 summer program served 56 elementary students. We provided children with homework assistance, physical fitness, cultural enrichment experiences, STEM activities, and service-learning opportunities, all in a safe and nurturing environment. We utilized certified teachers, community partners, volunteers, and professional vendors to deliver quality programming for HOPE students.
Mathematics Intervention, Better Basics' third largest program, delivers small group math instruction to students who function below grade level. Like Reading Intervention, the goal is for students to gain the skills and confidence necessary to reach toward grade level on state testing. Trained, certified teachers met three times per week over 20 weeks with 183 first through third-grade students. Using manipulatives and number games, students grew mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills.
Better Basics' second-largest program, Reading Intervention, delivers small-group reading instruction to educationally vulnerable students functioning below grade level. The goal is for students to gain the skills and confidence necessary to reach toward grade level on state testing. Trained, certified teachers met three times per week over 20 weeks with 230 kindergarten through fourth-grade students. Students grew phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills. We extended students' reading enjoyment and skill by gifting the cohort with 3666 quality children's books.