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Our Initiatives

The Elkhart Education Foundation ignites the power of community, connects generous hearts with education, and provides the resources needed for EVERY child to excel inside and outside of the classroom through extraordinary learning experiences. Here’s how we are actively promoting and fulfilling that mission in our community…

With the advent of the 1:1 technology initiative at Elkhart Community Schools, the Living Libraries Project brings libraries into the 21st century and transforms each space into a learning commons. These new learning spaces become the epicenter of innovation for their schools. Rather than maintain a strictly quiet location for individual study, the Living Libraries Project creates environments for collaboration and interactive learning where many forms of literacy are explored.

Good vision is essential for students of all ages to reach their full academic potential. Studies show behavior problems go down and academic success goes up when children have corrected vision. In collaboration with Boling Vision Center, this initiative is designed to ensure success in education through accurate eyesight supported by school visits from a mobile vision unit offering check-ups and supplemental eyewear for students in need!

The Learning Garden Project plans to build and sustain a curriculum-based learning garden at each of the Elkhart Community Schools elementary buildings. The gardens are dynamic environments for students and teachers to observe, discover, experiment, nurture, and learn. The Learning Garden serves as an outdoor classroom where all students can go for reading, writing, reflecting, meeting, and developing real-world skills.

The work of ECS teachers and staff truly matters! Encouraging our highly-qualified teachers is important and essential to public education. First Friday contests, treats, lunches, and free professional development and training opportunities are some of the ways that EEF helps keep teachers and staff encouraged and feeling appreciated.

The Summerscape Day Camp program offers full-day and half-day enrichment programs for students in grades K-7 during summer vacation. Our themed week-long camps are led by certified ECS teachers and assisted by qualified high school and college students. Some of the best learning happens outside of the classroom on field trips, experiencing nature, exploring living history and through hands-on, project based lessons. Adventure awaits students at Summerscape!

Speak Truth to Power

Speak Truth to Power is a multi-faceted educational curriculum for students at all grade levels. This human rights curriculum makes history come alive by presenting living role models and heroes who have boldly worked to address the world’s most pressing human rights issues. Students are exposed to learning opportunities that encourage them to become defenders in their community.

Project Excursion

The Project Excursion program seeks to provide at least one (1) field trip per year for every student in the district completely free of cost. Field trips are particularly important for disadvantaged children. Field trips aid in the learning experiences of students who are visual learners, build on classroom instruction, help to cultivate a better understanding of topics, and expose students to worlds outside their own.

For parents and teachers alike, school supplies can be expensive. With the Tools for Schools program, we ensure teachers receive the supplies their students need to be successful. Through in-kind donations, stuff-a-bus events, and partnering with local businesses and organizations, EEF sends each school building boxes of the most needed school supplies for teachers to distribute directly to their students.