Kids Hope USA

KIDS HOPE USA supports the efforts of teachers and staff at their neighborhood
public schools.

This program can be utilized as an extension of the teacher’s hand to help those
students who could benefit from a one-on-one mentoring relationship.

Elementary years are critical years in a child’s life when values are formed, self-esteem is developed, and basic academic and problem-solving skills are acquired. KIDS HOPE USA can help support these goals for students.

KIDS HOPE USA is a mentoring program that provides a church with the framework to train and affirm its members to volunteer at their neighborhood public school.

In this case, Coopersville Reformed Church has partnered with Coopersville Elementary Schools. Coopersville Reformed Church has met the affiliate requirements as posed by the KIDS HOPE USA national office, enabling us to partner with this public school.

WHAT IS KIDS HOPE USA?

In the simplest of terms, KIDS HOPE USA is:

One Church. KIDS HOPE USA forms a bond between a church and its neighborhood by organizing, training, and encouraging its members to be mentors and prayer partners for children from a nearby public elementary school.

One Child. Volunteers meet with one child - the same child - for a minimum of one
school year. This is the essence of KIDS HOPE USA: a caring adult becoming a consistent, positive presence in one special child’s life.

One Hour. Each tutoring session lasts about an hour. Simply being there and sharing time is the key.

THE IMPACT OF KIDS HOPE USA

School personnel report that the KIDS HOPE USA church volunteers are making a difference in the lives of children in as few as two one-hour visits. The principal and teachers at Sunset Lake Elementary (Vicksburg, Michigan) have documented that difference by monitoring the progress of the students assigned to KIDS HOPE USA.
They report the following findings:

• Detentions have been cut dramatically.
• Reading comprehension has increased.
• Mathematic skills have improved.
• Increased confidence on tests.
• Writing skills have improved.
• Teachers note an overall increase in the children’s attentiveness to school work and renewed concern for others around them.

KIDS HOPE USA Director: Cookie Speet
Coopersville Reformed Church • 423 West Randall • Coopersville, Michigan 49404
(616) 837-8949 • Cookiespt@aol.com

Partnering with:
Coopersville Elementary Schools • 198 East Street • Coopersville, Michigan 49404

    Coopersville East Elementary • Marty Alexander, Principal • (616) 997-3100
     Coopersville West Elementary • Rich Salo, Principal • (616) 997-3300