Case Studies

KIPP Bay Area Schools

KIPP Bay Area Schools strives to help its students climb the mountain to college. Going to KIPP increases the likelihood that a student will graduate from high school by at least 15%, according to our estimate. Those who finish high school will earn $300,000 more over their lifetime. More impressive still, over 85% of students who complete eighth grade at KIPP schools go on to college. Receiving a college degree will add $850,000 to their lifetime earnings.

Tipping Point Mental Health Initiative

The Child Trauma Research Project places trained therapists at four Tipping Point grantee sites to provide mental health assessment and treatment to children and their families. Clients receive child-parent psychotherapy, an evidence-based practice developed at UCSF, which has been shown to reduce behavioral problems and traumatic stress symptoms.

Sadly, experiencing a traumatic event is common among low-income children in the Bay Area. The Bayview Child Health Center, a community pediatric clinic and one of Tipping Point’s grantees, found that nearly 70% of patients aged 0-21 had experienced at least one adverse childhood experience, including physical or emotional abuse and neglect, having an incarcerated household member or a mother who is treated violently. 

Tipping Point invests in mental health services because we believe that those exposed to violence and other traumatic events are at greater risk of depression, criminal behavior, learning problems and substance abuse. In addition, evidence suggests that early onset of psychological problems reduces lifetime earnings. A recent study suggested that the lost family income from having such problems in childhood is $300,000. Not only does providing timely and quality care reduce immediate health problems, but it can also help ensure that individuals reach their full economic potential.

Shelter Network

Shelter Network offers housing and social services to homeless families and individuals living throughout San Mateo County, allowing clients an opportunity to regain self-sufficiency and return to stable housing. Providing safe shelters reduces the risk of unemployment and increases the chances that children facing an unstable environment will continue in school.

In a 2009 survey, San Mateo County counted 1,796 homeless people comprising nearly 1,500 households. Nearly 45% stated that the loss of a job was the primary reason they became homeless.

Children who are homeless are much less likely than their stably housed peers to graduate from high school, to perform at grade level or to attend school. Even if they had a job, homeless people are more likely to become unemployed and are less likely to find a job, compared with people who are not homeless. The cycle of poverty is perpetuated.