NBC's National Newscast Told the Story of Toledo's Fight Against Food Deserts
Dear Stakeholder:
As difficult as the COVID pandemic was in 2020-21, we are now learning that its impact continues a wrecking ball effect among children. The National Assessment of Educational Progress reported that math scores had taken their largest fall ever and reading scores are their lowest since 1992.
ELEVATE!, our after-school enrichment program, is working with students every day to reverse the decline in student achievement. Our latest results show that we are making an impact, especially in the context of the academic struggles facing young students. (Please note, these results show gains made in only 6 months of intervention).
One interesting thing we are seeing in this data is that our model gets basically the same results when dealing with students from urban and suburban districts. This shows that ELEVATE! is a best practice in child development that would make an impact in any district.
Donor Impact: Gains for ELEVATE! Students from Sylvania Public and Washington Local Schools
Reading
30% of students gained at least one grade level of competence in reading
22% of students achieved proficiency, up from 4% at pre-test
Math
26% of students gained at least one grade level of competence in math
19% proficiency of students achieved proficiency, up from 7% at pre-test
Donor Impact: Gains for ELEVATE! Students from Old West End and Robinson Elementary
Reading
29% of students gained at least one grade level of competence in iReady
25% of students achieved proficiency
Math
18% of students gained at least one grade level of competence in iReady
11% of students achieved proficiency
There are a lot of people behind these encouraging results. From our donors to our staff and teachers, the results represent the skill and commitment of our team, even in the most difficult times.
Last month, we told you the story of the Equitable Access Alliance of Toledo (EAAT), a group convened by the Center of Hope to reverse long-term disinvestment in communities of color.
Our initial focus is food deserts, understanding that a lack of healthy food impacts the people we serve in so many interconnected ways, including public health, education, economics, and the environment.
For example, there is not much separation between inadequate nutrition and a child's academic struggles. We serve our community holistically--organizing against food desserts while also providing after-school enrichment.
Building awareness of the issue is an important part of creating change. That's why we were so happy to see NBC News come to Toledo and cover the initiative Center of Hope convened. Rev. Donald Perryman, Ph.D., is featured in the story, which you can view by clicking the image at the top fo this story.
Rev. Perryman will also be participating in a national webinar program with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. The program will include Alvaro Bedoya, a member of the Federal Trade Commission.
The program is titled "High Food Prices, Rampant Dollar Stores, Failing Farms: Predatory Retail Chains and What Communities Need from Antitrust Enforcers" and will be held on May 23 from 1:00 pm to 2:15 pm. We encourage you to register for free at this link
Building a Stronger Community
The Center of Hope plays many roles in our community. When we make progress, it's because we are able to harness the support of our donors and our community. Together, we are helping families survive and thrive. We are in this for the long-haul, and we know you are, too.
Tracee L. Perryman, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Center of Hope Family Services
