PROGRAMS
Urban Family Outreach provides a variety of children’s programs that fulfill our mission in the North Knoxville community, including:
- After School Care
- Music and Arts Enrichment
- One-on-one mentoring
- Upward Basketball and Cheerleading, both faith-based programs that encourage healthy spiritual, emotional, and physical development.
After School Care
The Urban Family Outreach day care is a three-star program licensed by the state of Tennessee. It is the only faith-based program in the North Knoxville area. Our program takes grades kindergarten through fifth grade students at Belle Morris, Christenberry, and Spring Hill Elementary Schools.
The program is year-round, operating daily from 1:00pm to 6:00pm during the school year and 7:00am to 6:00pm during the summer and school holidays. We offer a variety of activities including:
- Arts and crafts
- Computer lab
- Tutoring
- Outdoor play
- Theme days and field trips
We accept children who are state-sponsored. Our staff is highly experienced and the staff-to-student ratio is 1:15. We encourage parent involvement through our Parent Advisory Board and Parent Meetings and offer training classes during the year for parents.
Arts and Music Enrichment
Through the Urban Family Outreach enrichment program, children ages 7-11 have the the opportunity to receive instruction in keyboard, guitar, art and voice. All classes meet after school for one hour and have 5 students or less. The fee is $5.00 a week per class to help cover the cost of materials.
One-on-One Mentoring
Urban Family Outreach mentors work with school children for one hour a week during their school day. The mentors provide academic and social support for the individual child. This program is done in partnership with the Project Grad Program within each elementary school. About 36 mentors participate during the school year. In addition, we provide mentors to the Amachi program, which targets children of incarcerated parents. The schedule for Amachi mentors varies and can include time during the school day, after school, and on weekends. Amachi mentoring is done in partnership with the Knoxville Leadership Foundation. All mentors are screened and trained.
Upward Basketball and Cheerleading
The Upward Basketball and Cheerleading program is a faith-based sports program for children ages 5-12 that promotes cooperative team work while ensuring that each child actively participates and plays. Coaches lead brief devotions and prayers during practices and pastors and other adults lead them before games.
We stress the importance of sportsmanship, fellowship, and faith, and believe that every child is a winner. This program involves about 42 volunteers each year. Signups begin in October, practices are held in December, games are played January-early March, and a celebration banquet is held the last of March.
All practices and games are held at the gymnasium in the Christian Outreach Center at Washington Pike United Methodist Church.