Community Outreach Program of Roanoke

Our program began in September of 1989, by the United Methodist Women of Trinity UMC, as an outreach to the children living in downtown neighborhoods.

We met once each week and had a warm meal together. As word spread about the program, more and more volunteers wanted to help. Today, COP is an after school program Monday-Friday serving 40 children and their families with literacy services focusing on early childhood (1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade). Children who struggle with reading do significantly less with their lives as adults and Community Outreach Program, in partnership with The United Way of Roanoke Valley, is changing that outcome. Our goal is to provide quality after school care that focuses on getting homework done, supporting the five pillars of literacy, and ensuring that family, caregiver and child bonding and relationships are nurtured in healthy ways so children thrive.

To ensure our program meets this goal by the 3rd grade, COP uses Kidzlit and teachers who are trained in this small group curriculum to bolster what the children learn in school and keep the learning going through books that build good character, increase empathy, expand vocabulary and engages comprehension skills.

To keep families connected to their children and their children's care givers, COP holds family night once a week. Family night is the only cost associated with our program, parents must come, communicate, and show active participation in their child's future as they are the key to future success in a child's life.

We also focus on families whose first language may not be English, Roanoke is a growing community and has a large number of non-native speakers in the valley. We find these families are very eager to learn English on family night when Blue Ridge Literacy comes to teach.

We also use a program called Strengthening Families Program-an 11 week dvd course that, when taught with a trained coach, is 94% effective at preventing drug and alcohol abuse in children and families.
This course can be taught in English and in Spanish.