KIPP Endeavor Academy Before and After School

Camp Fire Heartland provides school-year programming at seven schools in the Kansas City metro – on both sides of the state line! Camp Fire Heartland’s programs are 5 days a week, every day that school is in session. Programs run from the time dismissal to 5:30 or 6:00 pm.

Within each program Camp Fire Heartland maintains multiple research-based curricula, which are woven into our school-year programs. Curricula include Camp Fire Wise Kids (healthy habits curriculum emphasizing practical, science-based wellness and active lifestyle); Building Blocks (STEM-enrichment, helping kids apply engineering principles to solve community problems); InterACTION (middle school youth work through the often-bewildering process of learning to communicate with others effectively), and Teens in Action (service-learning, engaging teens in creating innovative solutions for community problems). 

What we do: 

1. Identifying and growing “sparks”-skills, interests, and personal characteristics unique to each youth that spark excitement and motivate them to reach for their dreams and achieve their potential.

   2. Growth-adopting a growth mindset, which embodies the belief that new skills can be learned at any/all times. Kids learn they do not have to be born with talent in order to learn new skills and succeed by using what they are learning. 

 3. Goals-building goal management skills, including how to “shift gears” in changing situations. Setting goals invigorates motivation. Achieving goals builds self-confidence and leads to new goals being set. Learning to adjust goals in dynamic situations provides real-life experience, builds personal resilience, and prepares kids for their lives and eventual entry into employment.   

4. Reflection-creating opportunity to reflect on activities and outcomes towards achieving goals. This is “reflection brainstorming,” since reflecting on outcomes achieved often leads to brainstorming new and different ideas leading to success. These ideas pour back into the process and feed the cycle of thriving.