Program areas at Cherish Our Children
COCI has strategically refined and enhanced the Gaining Empowerment in Middle School (GEMS) program. It is the only program in Houston focused exclusively on middle school-aged children of incarcerated parents. GEMS provides curriculum-based, in-school classes focusing on a peer-to-peer, discussion-based model that emphasizes self-discovery and strengthens nine proven cognitive, social, and emotional skills sets, to empower youth leadership. During FY 2022, we purchased a new social and emotional learning software that is more user friendly. This software provides our instructors with additional resources to increase student engagement, as well as enhanced data assessment and reporting features. As a result, this software will further help the GEMS program become more operationally sound.Lastly, during 2022, the GEMS program successfully and effectively provided social and emotional learning opportunities across 6 campuses, for 72 at-risk students and their families in the Houston Independent School District, Channelview Independent School District and Aldine Independent School District. In addition to providing services to our youth, ancillary information and referral support services to other community-based organizations was also provided to support the families of the participating students.
COCI provides funding for the Little Blue Schools/Las Escuelitas Azules, program located in Reynosa, Mexico. The program provides access to education, food, healthcare, potable water and shelter in a poverty-stricken community just a few miles from the U.S. border. The community was established by migrant workers several years ago and had no educational services. The program builds small, affordable school buildings, provides tutors, food and school supplies, partnering with government agencies, which provide teachers, and the local community, which helps determine the school needs.
By partnering with organizations and providing financial support, as well as providing direct delivery of services to create sustainable solutions for some of our most vulnerable children, Cherish Our Children has a 29-year history of support for innovative, caring solutions that have a lasting impact on children.