KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As the school year approaches, parents are looking for after-school options for their kids.
The Emerald Youth Foundation is an affordable option for students. They serve elementary and middle school-aged students through homework help, fitness and nutrition, and discipleship.
"We are committed to serving young people this fall no matter what happens with schools an so forth," said Director of Communications John Crooks. "Whether that is our after-school ministry for elementary and middle school children or calling and career ministry for young adults, and with our sports, we have served in different ways this summer with social distancing measures and will hopefully do that this fall. Not sure what it will look like but trying to be flexible."
The Calling and Career Ministry helps high school students in their school journeys as well as the transition to their steps after graduation.
"We help them with homework, tutoring, after school credit recovery, also in general soft skills things they need to know. Young people just need a little practice, such as interviewing for a job or writing a resume, we take some dedicated time and help students walk through those things," said Olive Fourie the Calling and Career Director at the Lonsdale location.
While the outcome of the fall semester is still uncertain, they are ready to adapt.
"We are prepared to shift and adjust as need," said Fourie. "We can do virtual programming via Zoom and Facetime if they need to stay at home. We know virtual classes are very difficult, and here we have this resource of space and WiFi, if you want a space to work and somewhere safe we can do that, we can walk you through that."
Emerald Youth's summer program has been operating the last few weeks, where they've implemented COVID-19 precautions they will use throughout the year.
There is a check-in procedure where everyone's temperature is taken and they are asked a list of health questions. They are following all guidelines from the health department and have introduced extra cleaning to make it a safe environment for families.
Emerald youth is committed to serving young people in some capacity this semester and are trying to be flexible, they are still waiting to see what decisions schools make.
Emerald Youth has a few main campuses as well as partners with several churches so they can serve a wide range of neighborhoods, they can help you get connected with the right fit.
If you want to explore the different programs they offer and get your student enrolled, you can check our their website here.
If you need financial assistance, you can ask about scholarships as well.