TRAUMA INFORMED CARE

Education as a catalyst

We serve some of the most vulnerable in our community: refugee children. Most have experienced trauma beyond their years, coming from war-torn or poverty-stricken lands. At Heart House, we provide a safe place where these students can come to study after school and in the summer. Our holistic mental and behavioral health model meets kids where they are, taking into account their background and current emotional state. This social emotional learning approach has been proven to increase academic performance, improve mental health, and establish a pathway to success for each child—in school and in life.

PROPRIETARY CURRICULUM

Head, Heart, Hands program

The Head, Heart, Hands program or “H3” employs a comprehensive approach to deliver meaningful results. Social-emotional learning (SEL) is a core part of the strategy to ensure the holistic healing and growth of each individual child. Physical and academic health is developed simultaneously through customized educational and therapeutic experiences for students. 

Our Head, Heart, Hands program utilizes social emotional learning to improve academic performance and mental health.

Lucia Awi’s story

Lucia is an 8-year-old refugee from Malaysia with a loving spirit. At Heart House you’d typically find Lucia taking care of her little sister, playing with all the kids, and displaying a joyful attitude towards others. However, Lucia’s joyous spirit would quickly sadden when she would work on her reading homework because she struggled reading books at her grade level. Her struggle…

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Bawi Dawt Par’s story

Bawi Dawt Par is a 9 year old from Burma who has been a faithful attender of Heart House over the past few years. Bawi Par is very outgoing and very talkative. Because of her energetic personality, all of her emotions would constantly come erupting out of her. Whether happy or sad, she would constantly blurt out what she felt and shied away from trying new things. In Summer 2016…

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Ella’s story

Every day, when she arrived after school, Ella was despondent and disengaged, hungry and afraid. When we tried to connect with her, she would run to the corners and not speak. When we started one-on-one play therapy twice a week, she slowly opened up. Toys were her outlet, and so she would tell stories through her favorite doll….

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WHO WE SERVE

Our impact

17%

Average increase of 17% per student in reading fluency

6%

The need for SEL skill development decreased from 45% to 6%

88%

88% of students agreed “I enjoyed coming to Heart House this summer”

Heart Of The Matter Blog

Connect with Heart House on Social Media

Looking to get a better view of the work we’re doing in Vickery Meadow?  You can find photos, information, and news on our social media accounts. Find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Stronger Together

On Monday, March 4, a fire destroyed the homes of sixteen families and damaged the homes of ten others at Sunchase Square Apartments in the 7200 block of Holly Hill Lane in Vickery Meadow.

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