Empowerment Academies
Empowerment Academies – a cornerstone of CapCityKids’ programming – are day-long events that focus on back-to-school readiness for homeless students while providing their families with information about community resources. At the core of an Empowerment Academy’s mission is to connect with people in a safe, fun and informative environment.
Since launching in Austin, CapCityKids has brought Empowerment Academies to Phoenix, Chandler, Atlanta, Tampa and Bastrop.
In 2024, CCK packed a total of 1,783 backpacks, with 1,281 going to kids in upper school and 502 for students in lower school; as well as 1,302 hygiene kits with items such as shampoo, conditioner and deodorant.
Empowerment Academies started by fulfilling a need to provide homeless students with a quality backpack and grade-appropriate school supplies. The event has since expanded to encourage homeless families to engage with helpful programs in their community – providing a connection to resources for food, child care and medical assistance - all in a lively, carnival-like atmosphere that doubles as a place for people to relax, see friends from school and take care of items on the back-to-school checklist.
Sharing knowledge on subjects such as college readiness and financial aid support to job training, and coordinating school supplies, haircuts and other back to school basics has made a very successful event that has become attended by hundreds of people each year. The cost of this program is about $4,000 each school year.
The overall keys to a successful Empowerment Academy are:
- Backpacks and grade appropriate school supplies
- Coordination with other events in the community
- Targeted marketing
- Community involvement, access to social services and consistency
- Connect with your school liaison
-
ID participants and needs
For more detailed information, check out our Empowerment Academies white paper.
Visit nche.ed.gov/data and click on your preferred state to identify your local homeless school liaison.
