Launch our School for 400 Children in Rural India

Opening a school during a pandemic is unimaginable.  However, FOREFRONT School started in 2020 while battling lockdowns, uncertainty, and adjustments. We are pleased to share that FOREFRONT School has successfully completed its first school year! FOREFRONT Charity believes quality primary education is critical not only for a child's future, but the community's future as well. Thus, despite lockdowns & restrictions, with the proper safety protocols, our staff provided lessons by visiting our students’ villages and homes. The reality is that in rural India, virtual learning does not exist due to lack of electricity, wifi, computers, etc. Our passionate teachers went above and beyond to bring excellent instruction directly to our students and their communities.

We have completed Year 1 of FOREFRONT School meeting our goals and standards, with 80%+ academic passing and 80%+ attendance rates during non-lockdown times.  We are now preparing for the 2021-2022 school year during another lockdown.  For Year 2, due to government lockdown rules, we will be implementing a hybrid model between in-person and at-home learning. 

Are you curious to know what our students learned this year? Below are just a few areas that every student learned in Year 1:

Kindergarten: 

• Writing own name
• Letter identification and writing for uppercase letters A-Z
• Numbers 1-10 in order and randomized

Grade 1: 

• Numbers 1-50 in numbers and words, in order and randomized
• Identification: shapes and objects
• Days of the week & months in a year 
• Basic English communication, in questions and answers

Grade 2: 

• Shapes, objects (oral and written)
• Days of the week & months in a year oral and written
• Written and spoken stories of self
• Poetry

Giving Back to the Community

Our vision is to unite our school with our local community. We want our students to learn at an early age to give back to their communities. Our students each built their own garden and grew vegetables. After the vegetables were grown, they were distributed back to local families.

Our Pillars United

On March 8th, International Women's Day, our education team collaborated with our medical & empowerment team to launch a community event.  It was an "Iron Chef" with all the mothers in our school and ensuring that the food they created is healthy.  Alongside this competition, FOREFRONT Charity provided information on diabetes awareness & prevention.

----

We thank all of you for your continued support and hope to continue to partner with you as our school enters Year 2!

Links:

• FOREFRONT Charity Website
• FOREFRONT School Website

FOREFRONT School Education Project Report

February 8, 2021 (FY20 Q4)

FOREFRONT’s progress toward the completion of its project is divided into two axes: construction/architecture and education. Together, excellent implementation in these two areas will make FOREFRONT School a high-quality educational opportunity for children in rural India who otherwise lack access. In the summer of 2020, FOREFRONT completed the construction of FOREFRONT School in Kolluru, India. As a result, subsequent reports will focus on the support to the school’s inaugural classes of students. 

During this quarter, FOREFRONT school completed its first year and started its second year of classes for the first few cohorts of students entering primary school education. During this period, FOREFRONT has seen consistent quantitative growth and quality improvement in the school. In its first semester, because of the newness of the school to the area and restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, FOREFRONT School had 17 students in regular attendance. In its second semester, FOREFRONT has doubled the number of students in regular attendance to 40. These students represent the Upper Kindergarten (UKG) and first grade. This growth is largely due to parent’s word of mouth in spreading the word to other members of the community.

In FOREFRONT School’s first year, COVID-19 restrictions prohibited students from attending school on campus. Unfortunately, due to the lack of internet access and connectivity, FOREFRONT had to put tremendous effort into making sure its first-year students did not fall behind in the curriculum. At the same time, FOREFRONT teachers and staff noticed that many entering students were already behind where they should have been in their educational knowledge. The reason for this is that many students have not attended school previously due to the lack of primary schools in the area before FOREFRONT school was formed. This demonstrates the importance of the school’s location in providing access to education to those who had none.

Because of the focus on foundational education in literacy, math, and other core subjects, students demonstrated growth in knowledge and behavioral maturity. This includes teaching on even the most rudimentary skills like how to hold a pencil and recognize numbers. Students who previously did not know the alphabet, now know how to spell their names, pronounce, recognize and write. Further, FOREFRONT teachers focused on improving student’s classroom behavior since most students had little to no previous experience in school. As a result, FOREFRONT teachers and staff reported improvement in children’s behavior, motor skills, and respect in the classroom. Even more, children are slow to want to go back home because they are enjoying their classes so much.