Breakthrough Kent Denver is a tuition free, educational non-profit program working in conjunction with Denver Public Schools and Kent Denver School to provide increased educational opportunities for under-resourced middle school students from Denver public middle schools. We also train and encourage talented high school and college students to enter careers in urban education. Since 1995, Breakthrough has served over 750 students and 400 young teachers from Denver. Breakthrough is not a summer camp, but rather a rigorous academic and social environment in which Denver Public School students learn and grow. We pride ourselves on helping students succeed and overcome any challenges they may face.
Breakthrough Kent Denver currently serves 140 students and 21 teachers at the Kent Denver site. In the Summer of 2008, Breakthrough Kent Denver successfully opened a second summer program site at Manual High School in 2008. With support from the Daniels Fund, the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation, the Helen K. and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation, and many others, Breakthrough will be able to double in size over the next three years at the two sites.
More about our Program
All students in Denver, regardless of economic status, neighborhood, or racial/ethnic group deserve equal access and opportunity to a high-quality education—including skilled teachers who understand and can meet their needs. For high-potential students from under-resourced families who want to continue their education past high school, choices, information, and preparation that come in the middle school years are often especially limited. These motivated, students may find that successfully negotiating the college preparatory educational system is a challenge so great that they give up on their dream of getting to college.
Breakthrough Kent Denver offers a public-private partnership designed to support DPS by helping its low-income middle schoolers push themselves to reach high expectations, both personally and academically.
Breakthrough is a year-round program, serving Denver Public Schools middle school students until they graduate from high school. Students from any DPS middle school apply during sixth grade, and if accepted, begin the summer program before seventh grade and commit to attend for two to three years. For six-weeks from 8:30 – 3:30 daily, they participate in math, literacy, and science classes taught by our young teachers. Nightly homework and a rigorous curriculum based on DPS and Kent Denver standards balance with group activities like All-School Meetings, Makin’ It, and Spirit Day to create a sense of community where relationships and personal accountability are key to achievement.
During the school year, these same middle school students participate in twice-monthly Saturday School from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. , where they continue in math, literacy, and science classes taught by high school and college age volunteer mentors. Additionally, Breakthrough year-round staff members visit students in their own schools twice per month to check individual progress, help with homework, and serve as liaisons for students with DPS faculty and administration.
Once our students reach high school, Breakthrough continues to ensure that they stay on the college-bound track. By sharing information regarding appropriate classes to take in high school, the timeline of the college application process, financial aid specifics, and connecting them with other local pre-collegiate programs, we are confident that Breakthrough students will not be among those who sadly fall through the cracks in an over-burdened educational system.
Breakthrough teachers and mentors come from high schools and colleges all throughout the metro area, and even from other states. They apply for positions with Breakthrough Kent Denver because they want to make a difference in the lives of underserved students, explore teaching as a possible career, develop their own leadership skills, and expand their world view. They leave our community having been transformed by the power of education and service, typically stating that while they were honored to help their students, they grew and changed themselves in ways they had never anticipated.
Since 1994, Breakthrough Kent Denver has served more than 750 middle schoolers and 400 teachers and mentors. The program offers students three tuition-free years of demanding summer school and Saturday tutoring and mentoring, as well as services during high school to help insure that gains made during middle school propel the student toward a future of college matriculation. Classes are based on the Breakthrough curriculum, and are designed and taught by our young faculty, who are students themselves. The goal is to improve aptitude in core areas such as math and literacy, while encouraging a love of learning and the development of good decision-making skills during the critical middle school years.
Breakthrough Kent Denver is funded by concerned individuals, foundations, and corporations. We are a program of Kent Denver School, partner with Denver Public Schools, and receive generous in-kind support.