More than two decades ago, Tiverton resident and medical doctor Tim Flanigan was working at the Rhode Island State Prison caring for substance-abusing women when he was struck by something he noticed. “More than their health, the first concern of these inmates was their children,” he said. These families were facing seemingly insurmountable struggles with addiction, unemployment, depression, family disintegration, and homelessness, and the need for a program in which children could escape this cycle was evident. Dr. Flanigan realized that the way to break the cycle of substance abuse in families was rooted in supplying quality education and support for their children.

In response, he founded the Star Kids Scholarship Program in 2000. “When you have an incarcerated parent, your goal is keeping your head above water, and the expectation is that you are not going to excel,” he said. “We are trying to address real structural inequities.”

The Star Kids Scholarship Program provides educational opportunities in the form of tuition aid to non-public schools, as well as uniforms, after-school and summer programs, and tutoring and mentoring for those high risk, low-income children who have a parent with a history of incarceration and/or substance abuse. Children are typically enrolled in the program between kindergarten and grade 4. The program’s goal is high school graduation. By completing high school and hopefully going on to higher education, these children will have a greater chance of breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty, drug use, disease, depression and violence.

The Program was launched in Newport County, Fall River and New Bedford, with 6 students in the first year. As the program grew, New Bedford Star Kids officially became its own chapter in 2009.

They work with virtually all private and parochial schools in their respective areas; All Saints Academy in Middletown and St. Philomena in Portsmouth are two schools which have hosted several Star Kids. School choice is up to the family. “It’s about the best fit for the child, whether parochial or private. It’s driven by the family,” said Executive Director Kathy Giblin Stark. After middle school, Star Kids may go on to public or private school, with continued support.

Parental choice is key, and the “parent” may be anyone from a aunt, grandparent, or foster family — the key is that each student must have a guardian who appreciates the value of education and commits themselves to making sure their student fulfills their end of the bargain, which includes respect for the school’s rules, attendance on time and in uniform, and maintaining a C average or above while giving their best effort. “The adult in the family has to be an advocate and believe in the importance of education,” said Ms. Stark.

After two decades, the program’s results speak for themselves. As of June 2020, the program had graduated 73 students, the overwhelming majority of whom have gone on to some form of higher education.
They include former students like Hannah Deen, who graduated from Rogers High School after attending the Cluny School on a Star Kids Scholarship. She then graduated from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2018 and is currently living in the San Francisco Bay Area working as an engineer for Google.

"Star Kids gave me the support I needed during an incredibly difficult time in my and my family's life,” she said. “Without the education I received during my time in the program I surely would not be the strong, confident, software test engineer I am today.

“Star Kids is a wonderful organization.”

“We would love to expand and assist more kids in Bristol and Warren,” said Ms. Stark. They already have support in those towns in the form of sponsors and board members, including Bristol resident Lisa Sienkiewicz, a member of the Program’s board who has been a sponsor for the past 4 or 5 years. “Through no fault of their own these kids are living in a situation that makes life difficult,” she said. “Giving them an educational opportunity that fits their individual needs is a gift of a lifetime.”

“All philanthropy is local,” said Dr. Flanigan. “We’re growing because people understand educational opportunity is an incredible gift.”

If you know a local child who might qualify for a Star Kids Scholarship, or you would like to sponsor a student or learn more about the program, visit www.starkidsprogram.org.