Reach a Child

At UrbanPromise, we believe that what happens out of school is just as important as what happens during the school day. It’s why we offer high-quality out-of-school time programs throughout the year that help students achieve greater literacy, confidence in academic abilities and spiritual growth.  Throughout the year, we offer:

After school programming

After School programs are held Monday-Thursday afternoons for elementary & middle school students. Every day and every site are a little different, but in a typical week our students participate in:

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Dinner & Team Building

A healthy meal and activities designed to build community and character while strengthening relationships with peers and with caring adults.

Academic Support

Students rotate through Literacy, Homework, and Bible classes. Certified teachers lead 60 minutes of literacy instruction, while StreetLeaders lead 30 minutes of Bible and character instruction. StreetLeaders and community volunteers serve as tutors during homework class.

Options Classes

These classes vary but are designed to help students explore arts, wellness and other life skills. Possible Options classes include cooking, fitness, gardening, dance, art, drama, or music. In the spring and fall, we also partner with Let Me Run (4th-6th grade boys) and Girls on the Run (3rd-5th grade girls) as an offering!

summer camp

Research from the National Summer Learning Association tells us that summer learning loss accounts for up to two-thirds of the academic achievement gap between children from low-income communities and their higher-income peers [1].

For six weeks during the summer, UrbanPromise’s Summer Camps provide opportunities for elementary & middle school students to improve their academic performance, develop necessary life skills, create positive relationships with caring adults, explore the arts, and nurture their faith.  Classes and experiences during summer camp are similar to school year offerings and focus on:

Reading Growth: Our goal is for all students to make at least two months of growth. On average during our last four Summer Camps, students gained 3.5 months of reading skills. 90% of students have maintained or improved their reading ability.

  • Growth in Self-Confidence: Our goal is for all of students to gain confidence in their academic abilities and improve their attitude about school.

  • Spiritual Growth: Our goal is for all students to grow in their understanding of who God is and their relationship with Him. 

NOTE: While there are spiritual components to UrbanPromise’s programming, students and families are not required to practice Christianity in order to participate in the programs at UrbanPromise. Students, StreetLeaders and families of any race, religion, sex, national origin, or sexuality are welcome.

Targeted literacy

Did you know that about 16% of children who are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade  do not graduate from high school on time… and that, when poverty is added to the equation, that percentage jumps to 35% [1]? At UrbanPromise Charlotte, we believe that ‘readers are leaders’ - and a strong literacy foundation is the cornerstone of our academic efforts. 

Throughout UrbanPromise’s AfterSchool and Summer Camp programs, certified teachers lead literacy instruction in small classes.  In every component of our Literacy Program, we strive to align our practice to the Science of Reading and how we know children learn best. In this structured literacy approach, teachers, tutors, and our Literacy Facilitator provide explicit and systematic instruction in the five essential components of reading and writing:

  • Phonemic Awareness

  • Phonics

  • Fluency

  • Vocabulary

  • Comprehension 

Our Literacy Facilitator provides small group and individual instruction using theOrton-Gillingham method: a multisensory approach proven to be highly effective for both instruction and intervention.