Emmanuel Christian Academy

Emmanuel Christian Academy (Emmanuel) is a private, non-denominational, Christian, school located in akron, Ohio. Founded in 1993, "emmanuel's mission is to provide instruction in god's word and conventional instruction that meets or exceeds state standards for all who desire a biblical foundation. To serve children who historically have been defined as at-risk of not completing high school and those who are underserved in traditional educational systems." Emmanuel continues define an at-risk student as one who historically is in danger of not graduating from high school and is characterized by one or more of the following five conditions: poverty, lack of education of the parent(s), single-parented homes, race, and ethnicity. Emmanuel provides a strong academic program and is accredited by the state of Ohio as an elementary school and now has expanded its programs to and offers educational services to infants through eighth grade. Emmanuel serve families of children living primarily in the west akron communities in zip codes- 44320, 44301, 44311, 44307, 44313 and 44302 - where the concentration of african-americans is the highest in summit county. And since a disproportionate number of african americans live at or below poverty level, consequently the highest level of poverty is also concentrated in the west akron area. Emmanuel Christian Academy serves young people who are low income, minority, urban, and come from single parented homes. We have accepted the challenge of educating children defined as "at risk" students and refuse to make excuses for our children. We are committed to providing these opportunities for our students to set them on the path of success. We provide all students with a challenging curriculum that prepares them for success, with our "urban" students consistently performing at or above their grade level on national standardized testing. We have a systematic approach, research-based curriculum, enrichment opportunities and a solid emphasis on core subjects that are essential to academic adjustment. Our board of trustees and staff are a dedicated diverse group of men and women who support the vision, mission, purpose and ministry of our school. Moreover, our staff builds on students' strengths, as opposed to focusing on presumed deficiencies. Emmanuel Christian Academy has contributed to an average of 94% of our graduating students completing high school and passing all parts of the state of Ohio mandated testing requirements the first time. Our most recent successes are highlighted through the track record of our current alumni who graduated from high school in 2023 was 20/22 or 90% of them with 16 of them continuing to attend colleges in Ohio and throughout the country. Our tuition assistance program and the school voucher (Ohio ed choice) has increased our retention permitting many students to receive an education and opportunities that they would not have been able to afford without the support of others. A good education is the only way for socially and academically at-risk children to be able to achieve their full potential, provide adequately for their families, and contribute to their communities. The curriculum and activities and programs of Emmanuel have all been designed to promote the success of our students while providing a real opportunity to further the development of children society may otherwise have written off. The following is a brief synopsis of the programs at Emmanuel Christian Academy: academic program that are noted for excellence. Our 3-star rated early education center (eec) we recognize that the beginnings of long-term success are sown in early childhood. Emmanuel Christian Academy early education center (Emmanuel eec) program works to ensure that, from the time they are born, children are immersed in healthy, supportive Christian environments that will enable them to succeed and set them on the path to school and college readiness. Our approach is based on best practices in childhood development and brain-based learning with a balanced approach of direct instruction and child initiated learning activities. Serving children infants to pre-kindergarten Ohio school choice programs: we are a provider for Ohio educational choice, jon peterson special needs scholarship and Ohio educational choice expansion scholarship, programs developed by the Ohio department of education to give parents a choice in education. Exceptional student program our exceptional students program was created to serve middle school students at all academic levels, through enrichment activities and to our struggling learners, in all grades through our intervention program. Usda child nutrition program: in keeping with Emmanuel's commitment to provide for underserved families, we offer a critical usda child nutrition program, providing breakfast, lunch, snacks and meals during the summer to students. In march 2006, children's hunger alliance visited Emmanuel and recognized the school for its commitment to providing students access to the usda meal program. Emmanuel was commended for taking the initiative to implement meal programs, despite not being required by state law to offer a free and/or reduced lunch program. Entrepreneurship/financial literacy program: (fourth through eighth grades) our entrepreneurship program introduces our students to the importance of understanding self-sufficiency through the development of business opportunities. Students develop skills in business planning, budgeting, securing business financing, marketing and other skills necessary for business success. In addition, they are trained in financial literacy and acquire skills in personal finance management. They are exposed to successful models of entrepreneurs in various fields who will avail themselves to the students for both training and mentoring. The burton morgan foundation (hudson, Ohio) has remained one of our prime supporters of the entrepreneurship/financial literacy program. As a result of our commitment to develop our learners to be fiscally responsible and self-sufficient we have continued to grow and develop our entrepreneurial programming to include an entrepreneur club known as moguls in the making. Moguls in the making due to our partnership with organizations such as the burton d. morgan foundation and apple growth partners has allowed our young entrepreneurs additional opportunities to spend on their business development and growth strategies. Additionally, we have also hosted an entrepreneurial and life skill summer camp known as my-stars since 2019 where learners have to identify real world problems and develop businesses that will help in solving or improving the identified problem. This program has been made possible due to the vision of now judge david hamilton, the support of akron city council, and the county of summit. Extended day program: our afterschool program includes homework labs, art and crafts, with plans of offering band, choir, and other clubs. This is especially beneficial to inner-city children who often come from single- parent homes and are left to fend for themselves at the end of the school day. Community involvement program experiences provide ministry opportunities to the students and staff, as well as exposure for the school. Community service projects afford students the chance to put into practice learned charitable principles. The outcome is an opportunity to positively impact the community through volunteerism, food drives, clothing drives, christmas gift giving, visitation to senior citizens' homes and making donations to other schools and community groups. Career assessment program: (seventh and eighth grade)/social skill intervention program (fourth and fifth grade) this program was established to assist students with the research and discovery of career opportunities and possibilities, and to establish career plans and aim for educational goals beyond high school. The program covers topics including, but not limited to the following: drafting a resume, successfully completing middle school, diligently completing high school diploma requirements and considering Ohio post-secondary college-university credits during high school. Social skills intervention program: teaches youth the hidden rules and habits of the social classes. Students develop discourse language ability that enables them to function in a middle-class environment using communication of negotiation and mediation skills. In the past Emmanuel has provided an award-winning summer enrichment program: focusing on math and reading skills for students who need remedial help, as well as those who want to maintain and increase their skills in these areas. In the summer of 2016 we rebranded our summer enrichment program and added steam program offering science, technology, entrepreneurship, engineering, agriculture, offering these subjects in addition to remedial help in math and reading. Athletic program: includes middle