- When you think about what a homeless person looks like,
- You think about a panhandler, right?
You don't really think about families,
you don't think about children,
and that's because you don't see them.
- There are an estimated 2.5 million kids experiencing
homelessness each year in the US alone.
Many of these kids are going to school.
The problem is normal schools don't really work for them.
- There is so much adrenaline running through their bodies
all the time because they're thinking about,
"Where are we gonna sleep?
"What are we gonna eat?
"Is mom gonna be there when I get home?"
It's really hard for these kids to let go and learn
until they feel safe.
- It's a unique population with unique needs.
So, at a small group in Oklahoma,
a group of educators has come up with a model
to help meet these kids where they are,
and it's based on a straightforward,
but pretty important insight.
- If we don't address what's going on with the families,
what's going on with the kids isn't going to change.
- Their holistic approach to education is changing the game
for these kids one family at a time.
(rhythmic piano music)
(birds tweeting)
This is Lacey.
She's got two kids, Jaden and Rayleigh,
and they've been through a lot.
- I was probably homeless at least eight years.
The hardest part was probably when I went to jail,
when I kept going back to jail.
Since children were involved, they called DHS,
and they took my kids.
I remember the first time I had saw Rayleigh after months
of being away from her.
She saw me and she just put her head down.
Like, "I know you, but I don't know who you are."
They ended up staying in the system for almost
three and a half years.
Jaden probably bounced around to 10 different schools
in a three-year period.
There was no progress, you know?
He wasn't reading at the right level,
he wouldn't keep his hands to himself.
He was constantly fighting.
So, he got held back,
and they just couldn't help him.
- A series of events led Lacey to Positive Tomorrows.
At first, her kids struggled just like most kids
in their situation.
- You can't learn if your feet hurt,
if your tummy is grumbling.
You guys saw a little one come off the bus with no shoes on,
so she just gets another pair of shoes.
That's not a big deal here.
- Slide your foot in here, let's see if it fits.
Got enough room in there?
- Mm-hmm.
- Not gonna rub you wrong or anything?
(foot steps)
- The magic to this place is that
we're not just focusing on the kids.
Case managers here at Positive Tomorrows,
they meet with families individually,
and they say, "Where do you wanna be?
"Not what's our goal for you,
"but where do you wanna be,
"and what does your family look like in the future?"
- Lacey was assigned to Ms. Stephanie,
a loving but no-nonsense case manager,
who would meet with Lacey wherever she was.
Together, they started to figure out how Lacey could
stabilize her home life.
- When you're partnering with the families,
they can do it on their own later.
- So, we have multiple age classrooms.
They're all working on the same thing at the same time,
just at their own levels.
- Because many students come to Positive Tomorrows
a couple grades behind,
they use technology to create
custom lesson plans for each child.
It's here that Jaden grew a passion for art and science.
(children cheering)
- We believe that extracurricular isn't really extra.
We try to give them as many opportunities as possible.
Whatever that is that they can attach to,
and find their worth.
Their self-esteem changes 180 degrees.
Many of our kids have never had a birthday cake
with their name on it.
More than blowing out candles,
it's the opportunity to hope and dream
that something is gonna be different in my future.
- Just a couple years ago,
Lacey was struggling with a drug addiction.
She was homeless,
and her kids were in foster care.
Today, she's two years sober,
and getting dinner ready for her kids in her own home.
- Without Positive Tomorrows I would not be in this home.
What'd you do at Basketball?
- Stretching. There was--
- I have been able to go back to school.
I got a car.
They've made me have a family, it feels like.
Like, a family that functions well.
- They have healthy relationships,
and they continue to progress,
and continue to work with them and find new ways,
'cause they were so quick for fight or flight.
Like, "I feel threatened.
"Let me do this,"
and now, it's slowly starting to change.
That was one of the biggest things
that Positive Tomorrows did for them.
- The last day of school was pretty emotional here
because to the kids,
this place is a refuge.
For many, it's the first place they've felt safe
in a long time.
- I feel like a wonderful part about this place
is that because all the kids have this shared background,
it kind of melts away,
and they get to be just kids.
- For the last school year,
87% of our families maintained,
or improved their housing status.
Our participation rate for Parent Teacher Conferences, 97%.
- By meeting families where they are,
and empowering them with the resources
to enable them to truly succeed,
Positive Tomorrows is changing the way we think about
educating homeless kids.
- Ready? Go!
- At the end of the day,
it's breaking the cycle of poverty for these kids
to make sure that they're ready for the world.
(dreamy piano music)
- Thanks for watching.
Catalysts profiles social entrepreneurs
exploring bold solutions to some of our biggest problems.
Subscribe to "Freethink" to be the first
to see new episodes.