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Northwest Arkansas Childrens Shelter

Northwest Arkansas Childrens Shelter

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Hope Academy

On October 10, 2019, the Arkansas Department of Education Board of Directors unanimously ratified the Arkansas Charter Authorizing Panel approval of Hope Academy of Northwest Arkansas! Hope Academy, the first trauma-centered school in Arkansas, opened its doors on the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter campus in August 2020. The charter school is an expansion of the mission of the Shelter and fills an educational gap that currently exists in Northwest Arkansas. Children who have experienced trauma, many of whom have the same profile as our current residents, are now be able to find specialized, small classes taught by trauma-trained teachers who strive to create a safe environment for the children to learn, cope, manage and thrive. Our teachers and staff are specially trained to provide an educational space for learners with unique needs. Our team-based approach fosters student success by understanding and meeting physiological, social and emotional needs of students.

For more than 24 years, the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter has operated a school on site for residents of the Shelter. Our goal now is to expand those much-needed services to children throughout Northwest Arkansas who will benefit greatly from a trauma-centered educational setting. This expansion of services will allow us to begin to break the cycle of abuse and trauma and provide hope to vulnerable children and families.

For more information, visit hopeacademynwa.org.

Abby

Let me tell you Abby’s* story. It was one of the worst cases of neglect the police officer had ever seen. The children were covered in grime, clearly malnourished and sleeping on filthy pallets on the floor. The house had no running water and roaches infested the kitchen. There were visible scratches, bruises and burns […]

Read more about AbbyImpact stories

Meet Abby

https://nwacs.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Abbys-Story_Final.mp4

Let me tell you Abby’s* story.

It was one of the worst cases of neglect the police officer had ever seen. The children were covered in grime, clearly malnourished and sleeping on filthy pallets on the floor. The house had no running water and roaches infested the kitchen. There were visible scratches, bruises and burns on the children’s bodies. This wasn’t the first time their caregiver had been arrested.

After the children were removed from the home, they arrived at the doors of the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter. They were scared, tired and hungry. We welcomed them with open arms. The Shelter team immediately sprang into action by serving the children a hot meal, giving each child a bath, providing them with clean clothing and beginning treatment for rashes, burns and lice. Abby was the oldest child living in the home — a young girl of less than seven years. Confused and extremely angry, she lashed out at the Shelter team because she had never trusted an adult in her life. She didn’t know how to react when we tried to care for her. She had been deprived of the love and affection of a family.

With patience and guidance from the Shelter team, Abby learned how to better handle her anger and frustration. She learned how to use kind words and how to depend on the adults around her to meet her needs. Most importantly, she learned that, for the first time in her life, she had people who truly cared for her.

Now, Abby has discovered the joys of childhood.

She loves stuffed animals. She loves talking about kittens. She loves drawing pictures for her teacher. On a recent visit to Chick-fil-A, she was so excited about eating in a “real” restaurant and even more excited about joining the other children in the play area. In our care, Abby learned how to laugh and have fun. Her laugh is so infectious, it can turn a bad day into a great one!

*name and image changed to protect privacy

I learned that love is better than hate.

Tonya, age 17

The Shelter is a perfect placement for all ages. It’s a safe place where all of my needs were met so I could spend more time on things I needed to work on – like graduating! The Shelter helped me so much!

Danielle, age 16

While at the Shelter, I got to do two things for the first time – roller skating and bowling!

Sharee, age 12

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860 NW Vaughn Road
Bentonville, AR 72713

479-795-2417
website@nwacs.org

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