Building Hope Highlights School Partnerships as 2021-2022 Academic Year Begins

CHARTER SCHOOLS CONTINUE TO GROW, DESPITE PANDEMIC-RELATED CHALLENGES

Building Hope, a non-profit foundation dedicated to providing unparalleled facilities, financing and services to charter schools, so more students have access to quality K-12 education nationwide, is proud to highlight the community-strengthening work being done at three partner schools.

“We recognize the many obstacles this year has brought for our charter school partners, and most importantly for students and their families,” said Building Hope President Joe Bruno. “Building Hope is dedicated to strengthening our schools, whether through our financial service offerings, operational support or by finding critical resources to navigate challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. We take pride in helping dreams become reality, especially under challenging circumstances.”

At the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) Career Academy in Washington, D.C., 100 percent of the student population qualifies for free and reduced-price meal services. To meet the needs of the community surrounding the school and many of its students, leaders at LAYC expanded the school’s existing food bank during the pandemic and were able to provide diapers and other critical necessities to students with children. The food bank will continue to serve students facing food insecurity.

Elevate Academy in Caldwell, Idaho, is a 6^th through 12^th grade school that provides career technical training to its students. The school depends on community partners and organizations such as Building Hope, to create opportunities for success for its students. The school is preparing to open a second location in 2022. The school’s leadership is working closely with local professionals and industry leaders to develop programs that will benefit at-risk students and build a stronger community.

In the spring of 2021, Elevate hired a career placement coordinator who is building relationships with community leaders and has set an 80 for 80 goal for the school – to place all 80 graduates of the class of 2022 in college, military or a job before graduation. Matt Strong, co-founder and director of growth and development for Elevate Academy, said the school is also implementing a year-long school social emotional curriculum program and additional staff support in classrooms to address learning loss and student mental and emotional wellness needs.

Franklin Academy, which is made up of six campuses in southern Florida, has achieved International Baccalaureate (IB) World School designation for each of its campuses. IB programs offer unique rigor for students and place an emphasis on personal development. Franklin Academy Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel Sandberg said his team has spent the summer enrolling new students, preparing student-centered professional development for teachers, and finalizing resources to address concerns of learning loss due to the challenges the pandemic created for the 2020-2021 academic year.

“As we prepare to welcome our scholars for the 2021-2022 school year, our mission to educate the whole child remains the same but has been underscored by two specific areas we believe deserve special attention – the social emotional needs of our scholars, and our commitment to tackling learning loss to continue preparing our scholars to compete globally,” Sandberg said.

Since 2003, Building Hope has supported more than 300 charter school projects serving 150,000 students, including those at LAYC Career Academy, Franklin Academy and Elevate Academy. The organization is committed to helping its partner schools and their surrounding communities find the solutions and resources needed to grow and thrive as we move toward a post-pandemic world.

For more information about how Building Hope helps charter schools nationwide with facilities, financing, and operational services, visit www.buildinghope.org.

About Building Hope

Building Hope is a non-profit foundation created to support education and public charter schools. Since 2003, Building Hope’s purpose has been to identify and finance viable facilities so that all students have access to a quality K-12 education. Building Hope has grown the capacity of charter schools nationwide by providing facilities, financial, and operational services so that schools can focus on and devote more resources to educating students in underserved communities. Building Hope has supported 300 charter school projects and 150,000 students in 20 states and the District of Columbia, by providing more than $363 million in direct loans, credit enhancements, and equity investments to support $1.9 billion in school construction.

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