Stories

Being a parent is difficult. It’s difficult when you’re a two-parent family with lots of support. And it’s even more difficult when you’re a single parent. 

Written by Sarah Taylor

Philips Academy is unlike any school in the Charlotte area.

Philips Academy serves both middle and high school students with complex learning disabilities, cognitive disabilities, and autism through their life-centered approach to education that is both remedial and practical. Their approach is backed up by the impressive statistic that 95% of graduates from their program are working, volunteering, or pursuing further education.

If you were one of the 400 YP’s that flooded the Brewers at 4001 Yancey last week as part of the 7th annual #YPMixerCLT, you know the magic that happened! 

Written by Logan Harris

When you walk into any Freedom School location, the energy you feel is contagious. The rooms are filled with song and dance, passion, excitement, imagination, and loads of learning. It is definitely not your average summer program.

"Work hard. Be good. Think."

For KIPP Charlotte, this is more than a motto. It's a simple yet powerful directive to focus on academics and character in equal measure. It's a reminder that education is a matter of the mind and the heart. 

1980’s Charlotte = a building town. Construction workers moved here and built their lives in Charlotte, but no preschool was laying the foundation for Spanish-speaking children to enter Kindergarten. The need for Spanish-speaking families to access early childhood education was nonexistent before 1999 when SHARE Charlotte partner, Charlotte Bilingual Preschool (CltBP), opened their doors.

All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.

Author Robert Fulghum said that.

“Hold hands. Stick together. Flush.”

Crucial advice for five-year-olds.

(And the rest of us, too.) 

But before the wonders of kindergarten comes the magic of preschool.

And a reminder that, even now, the best “time” in the world is still naptime and snacktime.

Preschool helps children develop vital social skills that stay with them well into their childhood.

Written by Kara V. Miller

Every day, including the #52Tuesdays of the year, nearly 200 families seek help at Crisis Assistance Ministry. The independent non-profit agency has a 40+ year history and a noble mission: to provide assistance and advocacy for people in financial crisis, helping them move toward self-sufficiency.

Nearly every day, there is a story like William’s to tell.

Early child care and education are crucial to the emotional, social and even physical development of young children and have a direct effect on their overall development as an adult. According to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, while our brains continue to develop and change well into adulthood, the first eight years build a foundation for future learning, health and life success. 

Did you know that food insecurity is a major problem in the city of Charlotte? 

How big of a problem? 

Think 150,000+ individuals in Mecklenburg County big. Additionally, around 80% of those individuals don’t have consistent access to transportation. That means, even if it’s a good week financially, accessing places like grocery stores, farmers markets, or even food banks, is still a challenge. Surprised? I was. In a city where popular grocery store chains seem to pop up like weeds, reading the stats was a shock.