HOPE worldwide's work in the Tri-State area began in 1993 and was primarily centered on childhood immunization outreach. The success of our HOPE for Kids immunization program in Harlem, NY led us to expand in many other underserved communities throughout the tri-state area. 

Over the years, the HOPE worldwide volunteers have expanded their activities to include child development programs while still preserving the program’s health outreach components as well.

Through our immunization outreach program, we saw great needs in the communities we served and began shifting our focus toward creating a presence in public housing environs. We learned how to successfully collaborate with many community groups, health providers, public housing officials, schools, other non-profits, and ethnic and neighborhood groups.  These relationships have grown and expanded over the past decade, empowering HOPE worldwide's work at the community level.

In the spring of 1998, HOPE worldwide designed the School of the Arts and piloted the program at Intermediate School 218 in Washington Heights, NY in partnership with the Children's Aid Society. After much thought and reflection, HOPE worldwide believed that a child-centric program, with character development as its goal, would be the most effective way to provide encouragement to those enrolled as well as to affect change, growth and maturity. By teaching creative and artistic skills virtually free of charge, this extended educational opportunity benefits “at risk” children ages Pre-K to 8th grade residing in low- income communities and public housing.

Now known as HOPE worldwide Tri-State Saturday Academies, our programs are focused primarily on increasing core academic skills in Mathematics and Language Arts as well as offering a variety of cultural arts electives. As of 2008, HOPE worldwide Tri-State currently runs 3 schools throughout the New York and New Jersey metropolitan areas located in Newark, Paterson, NJ and Bronx, NY.