Students arrive from their respective schools and immediately sit down in the West Side Helping Hand center to do their daily homework with the help of a West Side Helping Hand staff member or volunteer.  Report cards are collected each month.  The grades of each student are traced through a computer data base program.  Last school year, the majority of the West Side Helping Hand students showed improvement in their academics. 

Each day, West Side Helping Hand students receive a character formation talk from a staff member at West Side Helping Hand.  The short talks cover basic character formation topics such as personal discipline, having a positive outlook on life, getting ahead in life, forming a strong will, setting firm goals to live an extraordinary life.

In a world where many children are home alone doing nothing or absorbed in mindless gadgets, the sports program of West Side Helping Hand is a vital part of what we do.  Sports are important for childhood development, forming life-long friendships, and just having good fun.  At West Side Helping Hand we focus on soccer, basketball, four-square, Ga-ga, an awesome playground and other games for kids.

West Side Helping Hand students are excited to participate in our extracurricular activities. We have partnered with Tennis Success, Grow Local South Texas, and Team Nutrition USDA from Texas A&M. These programs encourage students on staying physically active while promoting healthy eating
habits.