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-informed 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 fill 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, will 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 22 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-informed 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.