Heart Math Tutoring’s Funding Initiative Grows Program to Include 12 CMS School Partners
August 25, 2016
Heart Math Tutoring (Heart) – a nonprofit group dedicated to helping students in high-poverty elementary schools develop math skills and academic confidence – has completed its Spring Funding Initiative and raised $630K, which will enable Heart to grow from eight to 12 school sites during the 2016/17 school year.
Funds raised were from grants, corporation donations and from community support. Individual donors contributed $220K. Several local and state-wide foundations have made commitments to Heart at the “School Sponsorship” level ($25K – $50K): Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina Foundation, Social Venture Partners, The Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation at Foundation For The Carolinas, the Belk Foundation, Wells Fargo, Google Fiber, and North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation.
In addition, The Leon Levine Foundation (“TLLF”) has committed to contributing up to $50,000 in the form of a $1 for $1 match for new, increased, and lapsed donations or corporate pledges. Heart must secure support by November 30, 2016 to qualify for the TLLF match.
“We greatly appreciate the generosity of our community partners and the financial support that will enable us to bring the program to six hundred students this coming school year,” said Emily Elliott, executive director of Heart Math Tutoring. “Funds raised will ensure all students build the strong foundation in math and enthusiasm for academics needed for long-term success.”
According to Heart, it costs $50,000 to fully fund a school site where 50-80 students receive one-on-one instruction for 30 minutes twice a week from September thru May. The cost of a new school site includes: an on-site coordinator, tutoring supplies, volunteer recruitment, assessments and data analysis.
Heart Math Tutoring is a math intervention program that recruits, trains, and supports volunteers to work as tutors in high-poverty elementary schools in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Hundreds of community members spend one hour each week delivering Heart’s research-based, structured curriculum. About 60 percent of economically disadvantaged children in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools perform below grade level in math, based on 2014-15 North Carolina End-of-Grade Tests.
In the 2015/16 school year, 99 percent of Heart students met program growth goals in math, growing in two or more building block concept areas. On average, students doubled the goal – growing in 4.6 concept areas. Heart students began the year with 28 percent of foundational skills needed, based on grade level standards. By the end of the year, they grew to now have 59 percent of the skills they need, cutting the gap in half.
Since 2013/14, Heart has grown from serving 105 students in two schools and plans to serve more than 600 students across 12 school sites in 2016/17. Heart’s 450 volunteers collectively gave 8,179 hours of targeted, one-on-one instruction to students in need during the 2015/16 school year. Much of the volunteer growth has been spurred by volunteer tutors, who have recruited friends and colleagues to join in Heart’s efforts, helping to ensure that struggling elementary students build a strong foundation in math and enthusiasm for academics. In addition, 100 percent of surveyed Heart volunteers rated their experience as positive, and 99 percent would recommend Heart to friends and colleagues.
Heart Math Tutoring
Heart Math Tutoring is a Charlotte-based nonprofit with a mission to ensure that all elementary students develop the strong foundation in math and enthusiasm for academics needed for long-term success, by helping schools use volunteers as tutors. Community members commit one hour per week to deliver an effective, hands-on curriculum through one-on-one tutoring sessions during the school day in Title I elementary schools. For more information, visit http://heartmathtutoring.org.
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CONTACT:
Jenni Walker – Walker PR Group – 980-339-8041-office/704-649-6571-cell
Emily Elliott – Heart Math Tutoring – 980-292-2297
