Step-In Girls Enrichment Program
Every girl deserves the chance to flourish.
Our Pillars
Step-In is Charleston Hope's enrichment program for girls in third through fifth grade, building confidence, coping skills, and friendship before anything reaches a crisis. It runs after school, in partnership with Charleston County School District's Kaleidoscope program.
Emotional Well-being
Girls learn to regulate and express what they feel, building emotional intelligence they carry into every room.
Healthy Relationships
Girls develop the skills to build honest relationships with themselves, their peers, and the adults around them.
Physical Well-being
Girls gain a sense of control over their bodies and their capabilities through movement and physical activity.
Community Building
Girls widen their sense of belonging and what is possible for them, through connection to the community around them.
WHERE STEP-IN FITS
Charleston Hope's model reaches children at the level of care they need. THRIVE delivers clinical therapy to students carrying trauma or significant distress. Step-In reaches the much larger group of girls who are not in crisis but are navigating friendships, self-doubt, and change without many tools yet.
HOW IT RUNS
One-hour sessions, twice a week, built as two ten-week tracks. A site can run a single track for twenty hours of programming or both tracks for the full twenty weeks. Curriculum, trained facilitators, and all materials are included.
This year Step-In reaches 60 girls across five schools in the tri-county.
Last year, Step-In girls reported:
63%
became more adaptable when facing change or setbacks
87%
felt more connected to friends and trusted adults
75%
improved their ability to manage emotions
WHAT WE ARE MEASURING
Girls consistently tell us Step-In changes how they handle conflict, how connected they feel, and how they see themselves.
This year we are adding the DESSA, an externally validated assessment, so those changes are measured by an instrument rather than reported by us. It is the same standard we hold in THRIVE, and it is what will let us say what Step-In does with real confidence.
Our Six-Step Method
These six-steps are vitally important to the success and integrity of Charleston Hope’s Step-In Program Model and are followed daily in our programs.
Mindfulness Free Space
Activity (Verbal and Creative)
Gratitude Time
Sharing
Theme Introduction
Closing Circle
Partner With Us
Step-In works through partnerships with schools, after-school programs, community organizations, and youth-serving groups.
Turn-key delivery. Curriculum, trained facilitators, and all materials included.
Flexible models. After-school, summer, and short-term enrichment options.
A real structure. A defined six-step method, a standards-aligned curriculum, and assessment built in.
If you are a school leader, youth program coordinator, or community partner interested in bringing Step-In to your site, we would like to talk.
Kristen Robinson, Program Director
kristen@charlestonhope.org · 843-608-0188
