The Learning Trail Mission

The Learning Trail is a non-profit working in North Carolina to provide low-income children through 8th grade and their families with needed academic and social support to help children reach their full potential.

RECOGNIZING A NEED

We want all children to have the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of gender, nationality or income level. A good education is critical to achieving that goal.  Research has shown the importance of early academic success for building confidence and motivation to achieve life-long success. Literacy skills, in particular, are crucial, but in Chatham County, low-income Hispanic communities, such as The Nature Trail, are in need of academic and social support for their children to achieve that kind of early success. Since English is rarely spoken at home and parents are often unfamiliar with our educational system, these children face many obstacles.

The Learning Trail seeks to address this through the following programs, all offered free of charge: 

The Learning Trail Story

In 2005, a group of volunteers from North Chatham County in North Carolina saw an unmet need.  Right down the road from their homes was a mobile home community that housed more than 200 low-income families, primarily Hispanic, whose children attended local schools. Many of these children struggled with the English language and were often academically behind their classmates at school. 

These volunteers, most of whom were former teachers, decided they could help by offering a free after-school tutoring program.  Beginning with just a handful of children, the program has now grown to involve nearly 55 volunteer tutors who serve approximately 45 students with a wide variety of programs from pre-school through middle school, including enrichment activities.  

Here is a brief timeline of the history of The Learning Trail:

• In 2007, the tutoring program was introduced one day per week after school for third graders. It was located in a run-down community center located in the Nature Trail which was made available free of charge. 

• Over time, the program expanded to include all elementary grades and a weekly summer program was initiated. Generous donations funded improvements to the building. 

• In 2011, The Learning Trail started to include middle schoolers, many of whom had been in the program when in elementary school.

• In 2014, The Learning Trail was incorporated as a North Carolina non-profit, enhancing the ability to raise funds to expand and improve the program.

• In 2016, the summer enrichment camp was expanded to four days per week for four weeks, with a curriculum that included math, science, arts, and literacy with field trips and guest presenters.

• In 2016, a preschool program was initiated, after obtaining permission to use an adjoining building, which was renovated for that purpose through generous donations.  The preschool was initially just two days per week.

• In 2018, a professional bilingual Early Childhood Specialist was hired to teach preschool four days per week. 

• Also, in 2018, a Parent Program was initiated through a partnership with the UNC School of Social Work, to educate the parent community on how to support their children’s academic success.

• In 2020, a Literacy Grant from the Women of Fearrington was used to support a Literacy Project, providing new, high interest books and learning materials and funding additional tutor training.

• In 2022, the summer enrichment camp was re-imagined to become a year-round enrichment program offering field trips, visiting teachers and artists, game/craft/cooking days, and special story time offerings.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

The Learning Trail has become an established presence in the community and is a popular and trusted resource for the families of the Nature Trail. The broader community has also come to recognize its value. The Learning Trail has received funding from a variety of discerning foundations, corporations, and over 200 individual donors. 

The Learning Trail has also attracted many volunteers as tutors and enrichment volunteers, coming from a variety of communities including Governors Club, Governors Park and Forest, Briar Chapel, Fearrington Village, Carolina Meadows, and other parts of Chapel Hill and Pittsboro.  Many are former educators but others are from various professions and walks of life, bringing their talents, enthusiasm and compassion to the children we serve.