School on Wheels, Inc.
Greetings!


One in 45 children in the USA - 1.6 million children - were living on the street, in homeless shelters or motels, or doubled up with other families last year, according to the National Center on Family Homelessness.

Here is a link to their report which was released today - http://www.scribd.com/doc/75506633/Report-Americas-Youngest-Outcasts

The study, a state-by-state report card, looks at four years' worth of Education Department data. It assesses how homeless children fare based on factors including the state's wages, poverty and foreclosure rates, cost of housing and its programs for homeless families.

It finds the worst states for homeless children are Southern states where poverty is high, including Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas, and states decimated by foreclosures and job losses, such as Arizona, California and Nevada.

For more information please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,
Sinead Chilton
(213) 905-2777

 

School on Wheels, Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1993 by Agnes Stevens, a retired teacher. After reading Jonathan Kozol's Rachel and her Children, Agnes realized the extent of homelessness in the USA. She began tutoring homeless kids in a park in Santa Monica, encouraging them to stay in school and participate in school activities.  


Today, hundreds of volunteers work one-on-one with children whose homelessness prevents them from getting the academic stability and help they desperately need. The heart of the School on Wheels' programs is the volunteer tutors who come from all backgrounds and professions, with a shared goal - to reach out to a child, to teach, to mentor, and assist in their educational life.

The mission of School on Wheels is to enhance educational opportunities for homeless children from kindergarten through twelfth grade.  Our goal is to shrink the gaps in their education and provide them with the highest level of education possible.  Our program serves as a consistent support system to homeless students at a time of great stress and fear.  We bring the message to our students that they are cared about and important. We do this by offering:

    • One-on-one weekly tutoring with a volunteer
    • Backpacks, school supplies and school uniforms
    • A toll-free number for kids to keep in touch with us
      (800-923-1100)
    • Assistance in entering school
    • Help in locating lost records
    • Guidance for parents in educational matters for their children
    • Two Learning Centers, one located in the heart of Skid Row and the other in South Los Angeles
    • Tutoring in seven major regions in Southern California, including Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.