Our Mission
DC SCORES inspires students to lead healthy lifestyles, be engaged students, and become agents of change in their communities.
Our Model
DC SCORES creates a positive connection for students to the school and surrounding community by creating a bridge from the school day to after-school. We strongly believe that innovative and creative after-school programming helps increase a student’s level of school engagement, physical fitness, self-worth, and sense of belonging in his/her community. We hire and train motivated DC public school teachers to run the program at each school, thus providing each student with direct access to a trusted mentor. Writing and soccer coaches are given a year-long curriculum, supplies and equipment, and are supported by DC SCORES program staff to ensure standardized, flexible, and contextual daily lessons. Our program maintains a low ratio of students to teachers and gives ownership to each school so that the school’s community embraces the program.
Our Reach
DC SCORES enrolls close to 800 students between the ages of eight and 15. Our program engages approximately 30 students each day at 25 public and public charter schools – 18 elementary and seven middle schools – covering District Wards 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8. During the summer, more than 100 students participate in our summer camp.
Our History
Julie
Kennedy, a former teacher at Marie Reed Learning Center in Adams
Morgan, invented this complementary combination of activities in 1994
when she began working with a group of 15 girls. Ms. Kennedy quickly
learned that the team-centered relationships built on the soccer field
translated into poetry workshops where students build on individual and
team strengths to express themselves. By developing teamwork and
leadership, students were prepared to act as change agents and make a
commitment to their communities through service-learning projects. The
program quickly expanded to multiple wards throughout the District as
an increasing number of teachers and principals were drawn to the
concept. In 1999, Julie Kennedy worked to begin sites in Boston and
Chicago, thus creating America SCORES, headquarters to programs in 13
locations throughout the United States: Atlanta, Bay Area, Chicago,
Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New England, New
York, St. Louis, Seattle, and Washington, DC.