Project Grow, Adopt-A-Family’s afterschool/summer program for children in elementary school, serves the residents of the agency’s housing programs as well as the surrounding community. The program is designed to address the complex needs of low-income and formerly homeless students through a holistic curriculum.
According to the 2019 Annual Report from Florida’s Council on Homelessness, the confusion and upheaval of experiencing homelessness “can have a long-lasting detrimental impact on the social-emotional development and educational progress of children.” This is one reason that general education alone is insufficient for at-risk children.
Through the safety and dependability of Project Grow, along with the steady dedication of its longtime staff, students learn to recognize and reach their full potential. For children who have lived with chaos, instability, loss, anxiety, hunger, and violence, Project Grow provides not only a safe and stable haven but a place to shine.
ABOUT THE CURRICULUM:
The program can serve up to 57 students in kindergarten through 5th grade, and offers STEAM-focused (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) learning that complements the public school curriculum.
During the 2021-22 school year, 98% of the students were successfully promoted to the next grade level. In addition, 88% of the students’ parents increased their involvement in their children’s education by participating in academic advising sessions.
In 2021, Adopt-A-Family hired Geo Education & Research (Geo) to conduct a thorough evaluation of Project’s Grow’s data and outcomes. After securing a Data Sharing Agreement with the School District of Palm Beach County, Geo released the Project Grow Progress Report in January 2023. The study determined that the program has a measurable positive impact on the grades and test scores of current Project Grow students. In addition, the report found that the high school graduation rate of Project Grow students was 4.4 percentage points higher than the district-wide graduation rate (based on students served between 2007-2008).
Read the full report here: AAF Project Grow Student Progress Report 2023
