Keene Housing Kids Collaborative

Just over 500 children between the ages of birth and 18 live in Keene Housing households – with an average annual income of $23,516. If statistics hold true for these kids, most of them will struggle to get ahead as adults, as well.

School data for these children is sobering: they score about two grade levels behind their more affluent peers on standardized tests in math and reading, are absent from school at a much higher rate, and 2 out of every 5 kids who live in Keene Housing households are enrolled in special education.

We are missing out on the contributions these young people could make if they reach their potential as fully successful adult members of our community: contributions in art, science, business and civic life. The Kids Collaborative is working to change things for children and youth living in Keene Housing by connecting them to existing opportunities and experiences in the community that will give them the tools they need to succeed.

Goals we have for our kids include:
Enter kindergarten with behavior that is generally school appropriate and with strong pre-reading and numeracy skills
Develop strong socio-emotional skills throughout childhood and adolescence, and reach grade level proficiency in reading and math by fourth grade
Graduate high school with a GPA of C+ or higher, without having become a parent, and without having come in to contact with the juvenile justice system

We are moving kids toward these goals by connecting kids to quality community activities in the arts, academics and athletics. We pay tuition and other participation fees, liaise with families to make them aware of what’s happening in the community, manage applications and other paperwork, and act as a central point of contact and clearinghouse of information.

Parental involvement is a key component of the Kids Collaborative model, and empowers Keene Housing parents to provide their children with the experiences and activities that children from more well-off households take for granted.

We partner with more than 30 youth serving programs in the area to give our kids access to their programming. Our kids have access to programs at the following partners, at no cost their families.
• Keene Family YMCA
• MoCo Arts
• City of Keene Parks and Recreation
• Swanzey Recreation Department
• Project KEEP (Keene School District afterschool program)
• ACES 93 (Monadnock Regional School District afterschool program)
• Keene Ice
• White Crane Martial Arts
• Yankee Lanes Bowling
• Stonewall Farm
• Keene State College Kids on Campus
• Child Development Center at Keene State College
• Montessori School of Keene
• Cheshire Children’s Museum
• Cheshire Career Center
• Children’s Learning Center at Cheshire Medical Center
• Monadnock Conservancy
• Cheshire County Indoor Soccer
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of NH
• Children’s Stage Adventures
• Granite Gorge
• Wakadoodles Open Art Studio
• Greater Keene Youth Baseball and Softball Association
• Swanzey Cal Ripken Baseball
• Keene High School Athletic Department

In 2020, 246 kids participated in 676 separate activities in the community in art, athletics and academics.