Achievements
In 1994, the Parks & People Foundation created the KidsGrow environmental education program which touched the lives of close to 2,000 of Baltimore City school children through summer camps and after school programs. We have continued to see positive results, and through teacher and parent surveys and student report cards, we know that young people who have participated in our KidsGrow program have more positive attitudes, higher levels of self confidence, completed their homework in a more timely fashion, and showed increased levels of academic performance when compared to their peers who were not enrolled in KidsGrow.
Student Quotes
I like KidsGrow because we do nature walks and study science."
- Anthony Hardison, 4th grade student at Harford Heights Elementary
I like KidsGrow because you get to do your homework and read."
- Tatyana Carter, 5th grade student at Franklin Square Elementary/Middle
KidsGrow helps me be more responsible."
- Keshawn Gordon, 3rd grade student at William Paca Elementary School.
I like the KidsGrow program because we go on a lot of trips and do amazing stuff."
- Justin Youmans, 4th grade student at Commodore John Rogers
Principal Quotes
Kidsgrow helps cultivate and stimulate the mind of our future STEM students."
- Principal Terry Patton, Franklin Square Elementary/Middle
Our partnership with The Parks & People Foundation’s Kids Grow program has afforded our students the opportunity to take what they are learning in the classroom and apply it to real world experiences."
- Principal Stacy Place, William Paca Elementary
2008-2009 MSA Results
| Grade | Reading Scores | Math Scores |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 74.5 | 76.3 |
| Grade 4 | 89.0 | 94.0 |
| Grade 5 | 97.8 | 97.8 |
* William Paca had a 46% increase in test scores from last year, the highest in the city.
| Grade | Reading Scores | Math Scores |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 95.9 | 97.7 |
| Grade 4 | 97.9 | 87.2 |
| Grade 5 | 94.4 | 91.7 |
| Grade 6 | 93.8 | 72.9 |
| Grade 7 | 89.7 | 78. |
Evaluation findings from Baltimore City’s Safe & Sound Campaign last year showed that as a consequence of being in the program that
- 49% of participants developed in the area of science
- 73% of participants felt safe in the program compared to other places where they spend their time
- 79% of participants felt they were doing better in school
- 79% of participants felt that they mattered at the program