The Need for ESF Dream Camp Trinity

Bridging the gap between potential and opportunity

Students walking away on a ball field

Hartford, Connecticut is a diverse city with a unique culture, history, and a growing population. Its residents, especially children, face challenges regarding equitable education, after-school programming, and work force preparedness. The Hartford communities we serve are at an elevated risk due to the city’s 26% poverty rate, which is well above the national average (roughly 10.6%). ESF Dream Camp combats these inequalities by providing children with a safe and fun environment to learn and grow.

Dream Camp strives to bridge the gap between potential and opportunity by providing free, high-quality out-of-school time (OST) programs. To qualify, students must live at or below the poverty line and receive free or reduced-price lunch. Our program is intentionally small, providing deep, long-term, personal support to 200 students and their families. The need for our program is clear when we consider our students’ living situations: 

  • 59% live in a household in which no member has finished college, making high school and college graduation significantly more challenging.
  • 10% of our students are being raised by someone other than a biological parent. 
  • 55% of Hartford high schoolers are chronically absent (25% higher compared to the rest of CT). 
  • 88% of Trinity Dream Campers reside in historically divested Hartford neighborhoods.  

Students facing these challenges benefit from experiences designed to create opportunities with structure, consistency, and engagement while removing obstacles like transportation and cost. ESF Dream Camp Foundation provides meaningful, year-round mentoring and out-of-school time enrichment for children in grades 1-12. Over 96% of Trinity Dream Campers returned to camp last year, illustrating the significant and lifelong impact our programs have on campers and their families.  

With your support, we can continue providing our campers with the tools, resources, and opportunities they need to succeed and grow in ways that are impactful to them and their communities. 

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Statistics Sources: ESF Dream Camp annual report, U.S. Census Bureau, and Connecticut Department of Education.