Programs

Through the Father to Child Program, fathers who are incarcerated at certain facilities can regularly communicate with their children back in Washington. On a regular basis children come to the Hope House office to see and talk to their fathers using internet technology. Some children bring in friends to meet their dads. Other youngsters are able to share a dance or song, still others bring in homework to get assistance from their fathers. During each visit, the children are encouraged by their Dads to remain in school, study hard, and stay out of trouble.

The Father to Child Reading Program provides children’s books for incarcerated parents to record for their children. The book and the recorded story are then mailed home to the child. This is a very popular program. For many fathers it is the first story they have ever read to their children. In the past 20 years we have recorded more than 23,000 books and sent them home to children.

The Father to Child Summer Camp brings children to prisons to spend a week with their fathers. Campers and staff stay at a nearby camp at night. Each day for five hours the children are with their fathers in the prison. A wonderful staff of counselors guide families through crafts, drama, games, creative writing and much more. In the afternoon the children participate in recreational and craft activities. Several groups in three states and the Netherlands have used our training materials to duplicate this unique program.

Peer support groups for children, wives, and caregivers left behind when a loved one is incarcerated allow them to join together to deal with the stresses and stigmas attached to having a family member in prison. Rather than offering formal therapy, these groups provide a supportive community, recreation, and other activities, as well as mentoring experiences for children.

This program was designed through our belief that the best mentors for many Hope House Kids are their own fathers. The goal is to improve relationships between children and fathers as they build critical thinking skills and values. Dads meet weekly to design projects based on current events, social studies, or issues like bullying.

This program helps Hope House Kids in grades 10–12 prepare for college. This program help kids find the right college, fill out college applications, find financial aid, and do all the other hard things that go into beginning college. The College Challenge helps kids who have grown up through our programs – smart, creative, wonderful young people – to access the resources to gain further education and achieve the potential that we’ve watched develop in them.