Center for Higher Educational Achievement

The Center for Higher Educational Achievement (CHEA) is a not for-profit 501 (c) 3 corporation located in Flint, Michigan. Our Mission: The Center for Higher Educational Achievement is committed to community and personal development by providing programs and environments which nurture individuals and families.

Founded by Dr. Marsay Wells-Strozier,Ed.D. in 2005, the organization was then reorganized in 2008, as CHEA received its IRS approval to operate as an organized not for profit agency. Currently the organization operates an Adult Skill Center for adults 25 years and older, and a low to moderate income rental housing program.

CHEA Adult Skill Center opened its doors April of 2011.  The Center was designed to provide professional development sessions, educational and job training for low income adults age 25 and older.  The academic programs were created to provide an environment that caters to the true adult learner, which are often over looked, distracted, discouraged, and embarrassed when they attend alternative education programs, along with younger students who also did not complete their high school education.

The Center provides a mature academic environment which promotes learning, academic independence, and assist the adult learner in removing previous barriers which occurred during their years as a youth. In small and lager classroom settings, peer age students encourage one another as they seek to obtain skills for greater job opportunities, ability to assist their children with homework, citizenship, or for self-gratification. Each Adult Education Program exemplifies challenging, cooperative, comprehensive, and creative fundamentals to learning, aligned to the required Curriculum Framework outlined by the Michigan Department of Education Adult Education.

The Adult Education Center holds a 100% GED Graduation rate since opening. In addition, the Center has been approved by The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools, for accreditation.

The Objective of the Adult Skill Center Programs:

To Increase basic computer, reading, writing, speaking and numeracy skills necessary for adults to obtain employment, self-sufficiency to successfully advance in the workforce, and to assist their children with their daily homework and overall learning and development.

 The Benefits of the Adult Skill Center Programs:

• Proven evidence based academic programs give adults the skills to complete their secondary education by receiving a GED, which will allow them to transition into post-secondary education.
•  Provides necessary remedial academic skills for adults to become more marketable for job opportunities.
•  Increased academic skills which enable adults to support the educational development of their children and make informed choices regarding their child’s education.

As we continue to grow and expand our services, the need for affordable housing is on the rise for our students as well as our community.  In addition to identifying current homeless students, we also experienced an increased number of enrolled single women age 55 and older who are also homeless.

Eliminating barriers to academic success and building safe communities is a part of CHEA’s organizational Goal. Helping low to moderate income families or individuals obtain affordable shelter, which is a basic need towards self-actualization, is the sole Purpose of CHEA’s Sustainable Community Housing Program.

Our Sustainable Community Housing Program Objective: To provide a service which will help eliminate homeless and encourage self-reliance for families or individuals not to return to a shelter, or the streets.

Benefits:

• Provide safe and affordable housing
• Eliminates the residential barrier often associated with low income families
• End chronic homelessness with-in our communities
• Encourages a stable environment for children
• Provide sustainability with-in the residential community

 Additional educational benefits:

• Residents have the opportunity to attend any scheduled enrichment seminar and job training programs offered at our Adult Skill Center.
• Head of house hold residents are able to enroll into our adult education classes such as: Adult Basic Education Classes, GED Prep, and Basic Computer Keyboarding Class free of charge. 
• Residents are also referred to Metro Housing, Chemical Bank and Flagstar Bank for financial/budgeting training.
• Case Management is also provided to assist clients in obtaining sustainability.

 Our housing programs targets:

• CHEA Adult Skill Center's low to moderate income students
• Emergency Shelter for displaced individuals and families
• Low income seniors
• Low to moderate income Genesee County residents not enrolled at our Adult Skill Center

We operates 4 successful and unique, educational programs through CHEA's Adult Skill Center for Adults 25 years of age and older. Beginning with the lowest academic grade level of 0 (preschool or Kindergarten level), we offer one-on-one and small group scaffold training programs such as: English As a Second Language-ESL (for non/ limited English speaking students),Adult Basic Education-ABE (grade level K-5th grade), Pre GED (6th -8 grade level) and GED (9th -12th grade level). Students attend weekly prescheduled class sessions for 7 to 12 months (for lower level learners, program completion will vary for GED attainment). Academic instructors use weekly, created Individualized Lesson Plans, aligned to Michigan's Curriculum Frame Work for Adult Education and guided course work, to help students work at their own pace in the development of basic educational skills and GED completion. Computer base assignments are also integrated, to encourage and reinforce learned course content.

In addition, we offer a Sustainable Community Housing Rental Program for low to moderate income residents of Genesee County. Home are newly renovated by retired US veterans, and placed on our website for rental. Monthly rent is based on home size and our ability to pay for water, in-order to help potential residents avoid the costly expense of Flint's water affidavit to turn on or transfer a water bill to a new location.  

We do not assist residents with the payment of commodities, nor fund housing relocation, and placements.