As an organization that has played a major role in helping the homeless community in Trenton, HomeFront has become a blazing force fighting on the front lines in the battle against homelessness in New Jersey. With over 100 paid employees and help from hundreds of volunteers across the state, HomeFront is successfully combating homelessness and despair for many families.
Nj.gov notes that out of the 1.3 million children who suffer from homelessness across the United States, as of the 2016-2017 school year, 10,900 of those children were determined to be from New Jersey. This means that many children across the state are not receiving the education or adult guidance needed to develop successful habits.
In an effort to narrow the early education gap for homeless children, HomeFront has partnered with Music Together® to bring the joy of music classes to children who need them the most. The photo used for this article features Ellen Acuna leading a fun and interactive music class which keeps children smiling as they dance and sing around the room.
“How wonderful that HomeFront’s kids will now have this same treasured experience,” says Sarah Steward, HomeFront’s Chief Operating Officer. “It’s so uplifting to walk down the hall at our Family Campus and hear the enthusiastic voices of our kids, especially because many of them have just recently experienced homelessness.”
The classes which meet weekly will be led by Music Together® instructors as part of HomeFront’s preschool and toddler programs. Early childhood education is just one part of HomeFront’s comprehensive services model to help local families in their community who are homeless/ very low income break the cycle of poverty.
In tandem with this, HomeFront also provides housing assistance, temporary shelter and permanent housing, education, job training and placement, counseling, children’s programs, and much more. It’s truly heartwarming to see a not-for-profit organization which was born and raised in Trenton do so much to give back to the community in such a meaningful way.
Music Together is an internationally recognized early childhood music and movement program for children aging from the day they are born through grade two. According to a press release issued by HomeFront, the Music Together® curriculum was coauthored in 1987 by Kenneth K. Guilmartin and Rowan University Professor Emeritus of Music Education Dr. Lili M. Levinowitz, and offers programs for families, schools, at-risk populations, and children with special needs in 3,000+ communities in over 40 countries around the world.
