Kids On Point

To amplify the potential of our kids through access, exposure, and experience.

Kids On Point makes certain students and families are well-placed to take advantage of every opportunity by supporting their emotional, physical, and material needs. We recognize that our emphasis on academic and athletic achievement are the cornerstones of our program but often before we can focus on these elements, basic needs must be met. Kids On Point operates with the philosophy that, we will remove barriers for students so they may be successful in all aspects of life and this begins with access to basic necessities and consistent social, emotional support. With all of our programs, students are given access to meals, snacks, transportation, health education and essential household and educational supplies.

Kids On Point works in direct partnership with institutions of public education to extend, support, and enhance classroom learning and district wide goals. Specifically, our programs are focused on the students and the schools with the greatest need. 98% of KOP students are on a free or reduced lunch program and come from low-income households.

Our activities and practices are strongly rooted in Positive Youth Development research and on proven models, in particular those of the Squash and Education Alliance of which we are a member.

Activities:
After-school programming: 3rd – 12th grades students are given healthy after-school meals and participate in academic & athletic enrichment facilitated by experienced staff and college mentors.

Year-round college and career counseling for high school students that ensure they have the tool kit necessary for college and/or career, including resume workshops, financial aid information, and standardized test prep.

Enrichment field trips locally and nationally in order to expose students to new ideas, cultures, and people that they may not encounter in their own neighborhoods; Family outreach events to connect families with resources and information relevant to their students’ success.

Summer Camp: A 6-week academic and enrichment summer experience for K-8th grade students to address the “summer slide.”

By providing access to a variety of academic and enrichment opportunities common to higher income students, we seek to reduce racial and economic opportunity gaps, improve school/work habits, and foster strong social skills that will prepare students for 21st century job markets and opportunities

Counties Served

Charleston

Annual Cost

$1,200,000

Partner Organizations

• College of Charleston – Facilities, research/evaluation partners, and 30+ undergraduate volunteers.
• Allegro Charter School of Music- Hosts our North Charleston Location.
• Squash and Educational Alliance- Professional development opportunities, best practices, financial support for athletic competitions, and student scholarships.
• MUSC – Practitioners from MUSC work with our students on occupational & speech therapy.
• Charleston County Parks & Rec – Provide jobs and internships for our high school students in the summer months as well as provide park access at no charge for our students in the summer.
• Scholastic Books – Provide a book for every student, every month.
• Youth To Ocean – Year-round environmental programming.
• Doors 2 Dreams – Provide civic engagement projects lead and designed by our students.
• The Gibbes Museum – Welcome our students for week-long intensive art instruction.

Funding Sources

Cash:

• Elhapa Foundation
• South Carolina Department of Education – ARP ESSER funds
• Stephen Ziff
• The Butler Foundation
• The Pisgah Foundation

KOP has been sustained for over a decade by a group of passionate individuals, corporations, and foundations who all look to close the opportunity gap. Our continued success has been shared with our investors as tangible outcomes become evident and as the broader community begins to take interest in our work. A founding goal was for the organization to be embraced by the larger community and we’re beginning to see a communal awakening to the need for investment in programs like ours. In the last two years, our budget has nearly doubled which showcases the increase in both breadth and depth of community investment in our work.

Our funding is provided by private foundations, individuals, and corporations.

In-Kind:

• College of Charleston – All overhead covered by the College of Charleston
• Lowcountry Food Bank – After-school meals
• Charleston County Schools – Transportation & summer meals
• The College Sage – College preparation consulting

Evidence

Kids On Point’s ability to deliver outcomes to our students is measured both in the short-term and in the long-term.

Outcome 1: Program engagement. Our average attendance rate is 87% over the course of 44 weeks – above the national standard of 81% (according to SEA) and we engage in 336 Annual Programming Hours.

Outcome 2- Program Quality. Third party observations are conducted every semester with the Out-of-School Time Observation Instrument from the Policy Studies Associates, Inc. High quality interactions (staff-to-youth and youth-to-youth) are regularly observed at KOP, in addition to high quality instructional practices, and well organized and challenging content.

Outcome 3- Student and Parent Feedback on end of year surveys: 83-84% of students report high program satisfaction; 96% of parents report an amazing or pretty good experience for both them and their children.

Outcome 4- High School Graduation and Post-Secondary Enrollment. We currently have 100% high school graduation rates; and exemplar post-secondary enrollment or workforce training program enrollment .

Outcome 5- Support Classroom Learning. Our students have steadily increased their math and reading scores by 45-55 points on a nationally standardized online learning platform called Edmentum ExactPath.

Sustainability

Kids On Point is embarking on a period of sustained growth. In the fall of 2022, we expanded our afterschool program to a secondary location in North Charleston. This secondary site allowed us to serve more students in the communities in which they live while also tethering the downtown CofC campus to the greater community. Summer 2023 will be our 5th year of summer programming. In the last two years, we have increased the number of students served from 120 to 350 and we hope to serve even more students with a secondary North Charleston summer site in 2024; and launch our College and Career Pathways program designed to engage students as early as 8th grade in setting both long-term and short-term goals towards post-secondary success.
Guiding our growth is our comprehensive strategic plan which allows us to be highly thoughtful and intentional when considering our strategy forward. This plan allows us to better evaluate partners and opportunities to ensure they are aligned with our mission and the vision we have for the future.

Grades Served

• Early Childhood (Pre-K – 2)
• Elementary (3-5)
• Middle School (6-8)

Related Subjects

• College/Career Readiness
• English Language Arts
• Health Education
• STEM
• Family Engagement
• Social Studies
• Real-World Skills
• Visual & Performing Arts

Contact Information

Barbie Schreiner, barbie@kidsonpoint.org