Heart House Dallas is a non-profit organization in Park Lane, Dallas that serves children who are either low-income, refugees, or immigrants. Heart House offers a safe space for allowing children to learn, talk about experiences with children who are or have been in similar circumstances — other children whose experiences they can relate to that they may not in their school, and ultimately, grow. Heart House’s staff consists of a diverse group of people who speak different languages and come from different backgrounds.

      Heart House in Dallas, TX is one of the most valuable resources in the DFW area that provides a safe place where students can come to study after school and in summer. Heart House is located in Vickery Meadow in northeast Dallas.[1] Vickery Meadow is an ethnically-diverse neighborhood consisting almost exclusively of apartment complexes.[2] Heart House caters to the needs of the students providing them with many areas of academic support, counseling services, and teaching them how to give back and serve their community. It is a great resource and opportunity for refugee, immigrant, and low-income youth to feel comfortable to talk about their feelings and to be surrounded with other children who have been or are in the same situation as them.

      Heart House uses the five guiding principles of trauma informed care as the foundationso for their H3 (Head, Heart, and Hands) program.[3] The three elements of the H3 program all play pivotal and equally important roles in how they care for and support children. The Head is listed as “meeting the academic needs of students through homework tutoring, literacy support, and structured STEAM learning activities.” The Heart is “meeting social-emotional learning (SEL) needs through meaningful SEL curricula, on-staff counseling services, and a cultivated culture of safety, trust, and empathy.” And the Hands provide “experiential learning opportunities such as Project X and field trips, and teaching students the value of giving back through service-learning projects.” Heart House has “comprehensive afterschool programming” that focuses on Social-Emotional Learning. the emphasis Heart House places on emotional and social growth is incredibly valuable.[4] Children whose first language is not English may have a challenging time connecting with and developing friendships and this program allows them to connect with other children and establish friendships.

Endnotes

[1] Heart House. About Us. https://hearthousedallas.org/about/

[2] Vickery Meadow, Dallas. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickery_Meadow%2C_Dallas

[3] The five principles are: safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness and empowerment. Heart House. About Us. https://hearthousedallas.org/about/

[4] Heart House. About Us. https://hearthousedallas.org/about/