Want to know what inspired Wings for Kids? Hear from our founder as she shares how WINGS came to be - and why we're still soaring.
Mission, Vision, Goals
Our mission is to equip kids with the skills they need to succeed in school, stay in school, and thrive in life.
THE NEED
Growing up in today's world demands strong, resilient, hard-working, and creative kids. All children possess these traits - plus many more - because potential is distributed equally; opportunity is not.
National data proves that individuals living below the poverty line experience a myriad of inequities because of unjust systems and policies. There is a direct correlation between lack of support by government systems to crime and delinquency, psychological distress, various health problems, and more. These issues impact the communities, schools, and children we serve.
POTENTIAL AND OPPORTUNITY
Since our beginning in 1996, we have focused exclusively on under-resourced and overlooked communities by providing a safe and supportive place for kids to be after school. It's here - after school - that we grow and practice the life skills all kids need to better understand the world around them and themselves. WINGS mentors model skills that can radically change how kids relate to others and react in school. Not only do we provide inspiration to do well in school and to stay in school, we build-up the belief in possibilities – that when potential meets opportunity - they can be anything they want to be, including the best version of themselves. We put wings on kids' potential so they can live joyfully, powerfully, and responsibly. Learn More >
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Research shows that skills like taking ownership, managing stress, overcoming obstacles, and developing healthy relationships are key to helping kids succeed in school, be prepared for the workforce, and become positive and healthy contributors to society. Early exposure and intentional learning experiences can shift the trajectory of a child’s life. Learn More >
Our long-term vision is a world where there is equity in academics, opportunity, and emotional well-being for all children, regardless of socioeconomic status.
In the short term our focus is to expand our services to reach substantially more children, both in-school and after school and ensure that the programs we deliver are of the highest quality and create measurable outcomes.WHAT WE DO
- Operate direct-service afterschool programs in South Carolina and Georgia. Learn More >
- Empower educators through workshops and trainings focused on social emotional learning best practices. Learn More >
- Provide products and digital resources to incorporate Words to Live By in any environment. Learn More >
Our goal is to address the growing demand for social emotional learning while maintaining the fidelity and impact of our program.
Just like we teach our kids to soar, we also are reaching for the sky! Our bold goal is to reach 8M kids a year by 2025. We know that this kind of growth will best happen in partnership and collaboration with others. We are working to build a network of partner organizations that share our vision and believe in the powerful impact of social emotional learning. These partners are schools and existing afterschool providers with the capacity to implement programs with a high degree of fidelity. The foundation of any successful social emotional learning initiative is the skill and behaviors of the adults. By equipping others with the skills and practices to teach social emotional skills, we move closer to our vision of reaching as many children as possible with high-quality social emotional learning experiences.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
- Maintain operation of our direct service regions (Georgia and South Carolina) with a focus on continuing to strengthen our program approach, test new program components, and showcase high-quality social emotional learning programming.
- Expand our reach by developing a network of partner schools and afterschool providers that want a comprehensive approach to social emotional learning.
- Broaden our curriculum for use within the school day so that we strengthen the link between the classroom and afterschool time for those wanting a consistent social emotional learning approach school-wide.
- Contribute to the improvement of adult practices within the field by providing professional development based on our research findings and lessons learned.
- Cultivate the financial support to build the necessary organizational capacity to accomplish these strategic priorities.
The History of WINGS
What began as a girls summer camp developed into an effective, high-impact, research-driven afterschool program for elementary students. Now in our 27th year of operation, we have served more than 15,000 kids.