At the heart of Educate with Integrity’s mission is a simple belief: children thrive when their minds and bodies are nurtured, and when parents and guardians walk beside them on the journey. The organization is committed to strengthening both academic success and physical well-being for young people. That commitment shines through in the Overcoming Obstacles Together Youth Saturday Program.
At its launch at Peace Missionary Baptist Church, the program welcomed children and parents to learn side by side. Students built confidence in their reading comprehension and math skills while parents encouraged and celebrated them. Each child chose a book to read and shared reflections with the group, while math quizzes gave them opportunities to stretch their problem-solving skills. These moments were not about deficits. They were about nurturing curiosity and showing children that learning is a source of joy and strength.
That joy was unmistakable in the words of one kindergarten scholar who simply exclaimed, “I like it here!” Moments like these remind us that cultivating a love of learning begins with creating spaces where children feel excited, welcomed, and celebrated.
The focus on reading is especially urgent today. Across the nation, reading for pleasure has dropped by nearly 40 percent over the past two decades. Only two percent of adults report reading to a child on any given day. In Ohio, nearly two out of three children begin kindergarten without the skills they need to be ready. These sobering numbers underscore why programs like Saturday Learning matter so deeply. They strengthen literacy, build habits of curiosity, and show families that reading can be a shared joy rather than a rare occurrence.
The program also placed wellness at the center. Families moved together through yoga led by local instructors and experienced the grounding calm of a sound bath. These practices reminded participants that well-being is not separate from education. It is woven into a life of growth and possibility.
Tutors, too, felt the program’s impact. One fifth-grade tutor, Z. Jones, reflected: “Seeing the impact on our young people with just a few hours a week and seeing their happiness.” The voices of
volunteers highlight how deeply this program resonates, not only with children and families, but also with community members who step forward to support them.
This program is more than a schedule of activities. It is a vision of what it means for families to grow stronger in body, mind, and spirit. It is also a clear example of how responsive investment can meet opportunity. Educate with Integrity received a discretionary grant from Saint Luke’s Foundation to help make this work possible. These grants are designed to move quickly. They allow us to invest in community-led initiatives that improve health in our neighborhoods at the very moment they are most needed.
Just as important, the Saturday Learning Program reflects one of Saint Luke’s Foundation’s core strategies: supporting educational attainment through family engagement in childhood education. We believe that a solid education is never achieved by students alone. It takes the encouragement of parents, caregivers, and community to nurture both academic success and social and emotional growth. By inviting parents to learn alongside their children, this program shows how family engagement fuels resilience, achievement, and a lifelong love of learning.
The Saturday Learning Program demonstrates what is possible when families are given the space to learn, move, and connect together. It shows the power of pairing education with wellness and community with investment. And it reminds us that strengthening health in our neighborhoods begins by recognizing the strengths already present within them.
To learn more about our strategy partners like Educate with Integrity, and how Saint Luke’s Foundation supports educational attainment through family engagement, visit saintlukesfoundation.org.