C.H.O.I.C.E. (Children Have Options In Choosing Experiences) Inc.

Children Have Options In Choosing Experiences Inc. (C.H.O.I.C.E.) is a comprehensive, non-profit, community-based prevention and early intervention program designed to steer high-risk/at-risk youth and adolescents into making more positive life choices. C.H.O.I.C.E. Inc.’s purpose is to provide the needed services that will allow youth and adolescents to reach their maximum potential via a positive, healthy lifestyle. C.H.O.I.C.E provides group counseling, mentoring services, and individual services facilitated by certified and licensed professionals during school hours. Please note C.H.O.I.C.E. is not a vendor of the public school district, yet a community-based program with a strong partnership with JCPS. 

The C.H.O.I.C.E. model© addresses childhood trauma among youth and adolescents by teaching coping
skills to bolster resiliency. C.H.O.I.C.E. offers self-help educational groups designed to provide youths the opportunity to process relationship issues, family dynamics, and feelings within a safe environment. In addition to taking part in self-help educational groups. The C.H.O.I.C.E. program delivers a detailed research-based curriculum for 28 weeks centered on valuing self, decision making, goal setting, communication, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The C.H.O.I.C.E. program exposes youth to positive youth development, emphasizing social-emotional learning, coping skills, civic engagement, academic motivation, and resilience skills. All targeted youth have in the past or currently experiencing abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction, also known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

In 1994, C.H.O.I.C.E. created a non-traditional mentoring program through the “Dare to Dream” Sports Leadership by adding cross-age peer mentoring to their existing group counseling format. The “Dare to Dream” program tries to bolster resiliency in participants through imparting knowledge of risk factors and promoting developmental assets. All high school athletes are selected and trained as C.H.O.I.C.E. “Dare to Dream” mentors who are eventually matched with 4th - 5th graders for the school year. During the 28-weeks of programming, participants meet weekly for self-help educational groups and twice a month for mentoring experiences. Mentoring Experiences are planned activities occurring between mentoring matches in the community or the school building. The program allows participants to gain a sense of self-worth, in addition to effective communication skills, empathy, healthy coping skills, civic engagement, and resiliency.