People living in the poorest areas of St. Louis often can see the Gateway Arch from their homes, but many go their entire lives without stepping foot inside it. “It’s hard to expand your knowledge and figure out what you want to be in life if you’re never exposed to anything outside your neighborhood,” says Scott Walker, president of Kingdom House. “We believe the ticket out of poverty is getting an education that can lead to a life-sustaining job.” Each year, Kingdom House serves more than 8,000 South City residents with its network of educational programs.
The organization’s work begins with children as young as 6 weeks old. Its early childhood center provides curriculum-based preschool education for children up to age 5. “They get all the resources they need, and they leave us ready for kindergarten,” Walker says. The center creates a foundation of learning, which Kingdom House then builds upon with children in elementary and middle school through its after-school and summer programs.
Six- to 14-year-old children can attend Kingdom House’s after-school program, which provides individualized tutoring. The children, all of whom participate in the free or reduced lunch offering, also get a healthy dinner before heading home. “That’s usually a tough meal for our families because the parents often work two or three jobs and may not be able to get home and prepare dinner,” Walker says. The children also may join the organization’s summer camp, which focuses on literacy. “Kids can lose up to three months of learning when they are idle over the summer,” Walker notes. “Testing has shown our program stops that summer slide.” The students also take field trips to places like the Arch, Science Center and Meramec Caverns.
Kingdom House’s newest program, Kingdom Academy, provides tutoring, mentoring, and life- and job-skills training to 100 high school students. The first class graduated last May. Of the 18 children who completed the four-year program, 16 are now in college and two attend vocational school. “Our local high school’s average graduation rate is 37 percent,” Walker says. “When you compare that to our first year, Kingdom Academy is very successful. Most of our kids are first-generation high school graduates.”
There’s also educational programming for adults. Kingdom House provides GED training, financial-literacy coaching, and fitness and nutrition advice to those older than 18 who want to improve their personal or family economic situation, Walker says. The Senior Companion program trains volunteers over age 55 to visit housebound seniors and educate them on such issues as health care and social security. “Our multigenerational approach creates a shared language about how life should be lived among children and their parents and grandparents,” Walker says. “If we just teach kids and then send them home to an environment where what they learn is not practiced, they lose much of what they learn.”
The common thread running through all Kingdom House programs, Walker says, is the idea that education can provide a better life. “The participants we serve want to get ahead, but they don’t have the great support system most of us had. We give people a hand up, not a hand out, and empower them to move forward. Our programs are pathways out of poverty.”
Photo: Eric Frazier Photography
[Kingdom House believes that education is the ticket out of poverty. The South St. Louis nonprofit offers a range of educational programs for all ages, starting with 6-week-olds way up to adults. The newest program, Kingdom Academy, provides tutoring, mentoring and job training for high schoolers. Pictured on the cover: Kingdom House program participants. For more information, call 314.492.8631 or visit kingdomhouse.org.]
