Our vision, MISSION, Goals, objectives, Strategies & Tactics
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- Vision: A's & Aces' vision is to build a healthier, safer, more successful future for New Orleans and our children through improved literacy, positive behavior, service, and the enjoyment of tennis for life.
- Mission: A’s & Aces mission is to provide academic assistance, life skills, and tennis to New Orleans children.
- Goals: Our organizational goals are to better prepare students to succeed academically, physically, and socially/emotionally in school and for a lifetime beyond. We seek to narrow the “opportunity gap” by creating more accessible, equitable, and socially just opportunities on and off the tennis court.
- Objectives: To achieve our overall goal, we seek to increase:
- academic attainments with a focus on literacy,
- physical literacy and tennis skills to promote life-long exercise habits, and
- life skills and community service to improve our children's overall growth.
- Strategies: Tennis is a critical component of A's & Aces' tri-fold mission. It is the hook that draws kids to get involved and stay committed. "Sports-Based Youth Development" is recognized globally as an unparalleled way to engage children, including under-resourced populations. While character developing life-skills and academic support are critical to having successful, productive lives, tennis can also provide an opportunity to build social, academic and career networks, and to participate in a fun, social, lifelong, global, non-contact, low-impact, co-ed, team and individual sport. Ultimately, this can provide incredible benefits to participants - and for society.
Our programming is based on the following principles:
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- holistic, 'whole child' approach: high quality services that provide children with the necessary tools to succeed in school and beyond
- evidence based curricula that foster a love of learning and continued participation - activities that use three interrelated features (academic curricula, tennis, and life skills activities) that thematically link the classroom and court activities - caring, professional staff: trained coaches and teachers, serving as role models, deliver quality lessons and activities - low teacher-student ratio: volunteer help decreases ratio and allows for individualized attention |
Tactics: A primary tactic is to maintain both programmatic quality and fiscal responsibility, while securing future sustainability and opportunities for growth by operating a hub Youth Tennis & Learning Center.
- Programmatic Quality:
Our 'schools-to-spokes-to-hub’ programmatic structure introduces young elementary school children to A's & Aces throughout the City, and provides opportunities to continue in our ‘Pathway to College’ program thorough high school.
Seven full-time coaches and administrative staff, and up to 35 part-time staff during summer camps, are aided by many college service-learning students and adult volunteers. This workforce serves about 1,000 children annually with high-quality programs that promote scholarship in the classrooms and healthy lifestyles and sportsmanship on the tennis courts Throughout the school-year via PE classes in-schools, after-school programs, Saturday clinics, and school-holiday camps, and throughout the summer A's & Aces hosts four simultaneous 7-week Literacy & Tennis camps. Hosting several USTA sanctioned junior tournaments provides opportunities for A's & Aces participants to learn while competing for ranking points and recognition.
- Fiscal Sustainability:
With financial support from individual donors, charitable foundations and corporate sponsors, and access to facilities provided by Dillard University and the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission, the A's & Aces programs have continued to grow. Meanwhile, staff have been based in a small residential office, remote to programming sites.
A's & Aces continues to seek a centrally-located organization home. Offices for administrative staff, teachers and coaches, storage for equipment will enhance efficiency. The Center will enable full development of our Pathway to College programming by providing space for educators to help youth improve their academic performance. With a computer lab/study center and classroom, teachers and counselors will offer our student-athletes a quiet and safe place to benefit from a wide range of programs centered around healthy living, character education and academics, including tutoring, homework assistance, project-based learning, SAT and ACT test preparation, college admissions guidance, and tennis job skills training.
A "hub" Youth Tennis and Learning Center will increase efficiency, and build sustainability. Moreover, adult players can rent courts during school hours and evenings, enabling the "adults pay so children can play" nonprofit hybrid model that other top USTA "four star" National Junior Tennis and Learning chapters successfully utilize. More
Our 'schools-to-spokes-to-hub’ programmatic structure introduces young elementary school children to A's & Aces throughout the City, and provides opportunities to continue in our ‘Pathway to College’ program thorough high school.
Seven full-time coaches and administrative staff, and up to 35 part-time staff during summer camps, are aided by many college service-learning students and adult volunteers. This workforce serves about 1,000 children annually with high-quality programs that promote scholarship in the classrooms and healthy lifestyles and sportsmanship on the tennis courts Throughout the school-year via PE classes in-schools, after-school programs, Saturday clinics, and school-holiday camps, and throughout the summer A's & Aces hosts four simultaneous 7-week Literacy & Tennis camps. Hosting several USTA sanctioned junior tournaments provides opportunities for A's & Aces participants to learn while competing for ranking points and recognition.
- Fiscal Sustainability:
With financial support from individual donors, charitable foundations and corporate sponsors, and access to facilities provided by Dillard University and the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission, the A's & Aces programs have continued to grow. Meanwhile, staff have been based in a small residential office, remote to programming sites.
A's & Aces continues to seek a centrally-located organization home. Offices for administrative staff, teachers and coaches, storage for equipment will enhance efficiency. The Center will enable full development of our Pathway to College programming by providing space for educators to help youth improve their academic performance. With a computer lab/study center and classroom, teachers and counselors will offer our student-athletes a quiet and safe place to benefit from a wide range of programs centered around healthy living, character education and academics, including tutoring, homework assistance, project-based learning, SAT and ACT test preparation, college admissions guidance, and tennis job skills training.
A "hub" Youth Tennis and Learning Center will increase efficiency, and build sustainability. Moreover, adult players can rent courts during school hours and evenings, enabling the "adults pay so children can play" nonprofit hybrid model that other top USTA "four star" National Junior Tennis and Learning chapters successfully utilize. More