The need
In Dekalb County, over 140 languages and dialects are represented in the classroom. But schools are overcrowded, understaffed, under-resourced, and ill-equipped to handle the unique challenges students face as they attempt to learn English and master the basic skills they need to succeed in school.
While most of these students are US-born, nearly 85% are from illiterate, non-English speaking homes. These students are placed in age-appropriate grade levels at school and are expected to keep up with a curriculum that assumes English fluency while hearing the language for the first time.
Lack of English and math skills almost guarantees that non-English speaking children will drop out of school, trapping them and their families in generational poverty and government dependence.
At Cross-Cultural Ministries, we equip children to master the foundations of math and phonics-based English language at after-school centers in their apartment complexes. When children acquire these essential skills, they learn how to learn, stay in school, and become healthy, self-sufficient citizens.
3,000
There are at least 3,000 people living in apartments within a 1/4 mile radius of our Pearl Lane Center alone. All of the homes are non-English speaking, and most of the adults are illiterate in their native tongue as well as English. By expanding the number of CCM learning centers, we can reach more families and equip more students.
80%
Reading proficiently by the end of the third grade is a crucial marker in a child's educational development, but children who enter school without English skills stay several grades behind their peers.
Only 20% of students in Dekalb County from non-English speaking homes graduate from high school.
In sharp contrast, 92% of CCM tutoring students graduate, providing them opportunities their drop-out peers will never have.
1
Only one church is within walking distance of the Pearl Lane Center, and very few local ministries provide services in languages other than English and Spanish.
Participation in a CCM program not only provides students with the tools to succeed in school but exposes them and their families to the gospel in a natural way through trusting relationships.
100
Each learning center can provide services for 80-100 children regularly and many more through our Bible clubs and outreach events. We also partner with local ministries and churches during their VBS to enable their ability to reach more immigrant families with the gospel.
Our goal is to continue to open centers across Dekalb County, increasing accessibility to educational services exponentially.
A story of transformation and hope
Meet
Juanita
“I would never be able to do what I am doing. I also don’t know if I would have ever trusted my life to Jesus and achieved His plan for me.”
“Juanita” had just failed the 5th grade before coming to CCM.
Her English was good, but she could not read and struggled with addition. She faithfully worked with our volunteers through middle school and eventually assumed a leadership role in our summer clubs. She completed high school with a 3.7 grade point average.
Today, Juanita runs a salon, orders supplies, and calculates costs. Juanita says that without the help of everyone at Cross-Cultural Ministries and the encouragement to persevere, she would not have stayed in school.
Give the gift of education and change the world for a child.
We need your help to spread the message of hope and love to children in our community.Your donation provides:
$9,500
Covers the expenses for an entire after-school learning center and serves 80-100 children for one month.
$2,200
Covers the expenses for an entire after-school learning center and serves 80-100 children for a week.
$1,600
Pays rent for one month for a single learning center
$500
Offers a paid internship to a center student to learn and develop business skills.
$120
Sponsors one student for one month.
$70
Covers the cost of one month of internet service at one of our centers.
$60
Purchases one month of healthy snacks for our students
$30
Purchases two weeks of healthy snacks for our students
Get involved
Help vulnerable children learn how to learn, stay in school, and become healthy, self-sufficient citizens.
You don't have to leave the country to find a mission field. There's one right outside your door.
Providing the basic skills of reading, writing, and math to non-English speaking students in a gospel-centered environment both empowers them to succeed in school and shows them that there is hope for their lives in Jesus Christ.
Donate
Your financial support allows us to open more after-school learning centers and support more students with educational outreach.
DONATE NOW
Volunteer
We are always looking for passionate individuals who want to make a difference in the lives of these children. From tutoring to organizing events, there is plenty of work to be done!
Pray
Pray for our staff, volunteers, and the families we serve. Pray that those who don't know Christ will come to know Him and that we will be a light to the community at large.
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