Zach Johnson Foundation

We are based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at nine high poverty schools in the Cedar Rapids Community School District:

Grant, Harrison, Hoover, Taylor, and Van Buren Elementary Schools, Roosevelt and Wilson Middle Schools and Jefferson and Kennedy High Schools.

Kids on Course provides tutoring, enrichment, parent engagement, summer learning and long-term mentoring. Our program begins with students in elementary schools and follows them throughout their educational career.

Kids who are behind in 4th grade in reading are four times more likely to drop out of high school and 13 times more likely to not graduate from high school on time. Kids who drop out of high school are ineligible for 90% of jobs in America. They are also twice as likely to abuse drugs, five times more likely to be involved in gangs and five times more likely to go to prison. Students attending the Kids on Course year-round program are six times more likely to be on grade level in reading compared to peers not in the program. Education is the ticket to breaking the cycle of poverty and having a life of opportunity.

Our guiding principle for the work we do is to always put kids first. It helps make hard decisions easy when we know we will always do what is in the best interest of students. We also have a set of values we review often to remind us of why we are here and how we advocate for students, families, and treat others with utmost respect and care.