Empowering single parents elevating youth

Name: Dream In Demand
Address: Baton Rouge

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Join us in transforming lives throughout East Baton Rouge Parish

Empowering single parents elevating youth

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About Us

Dream in Demand is a nonprofit organization based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana dedicated to uplifting single-parent families by expanding access to extracurricular opportunities for their children. We understand the financial and logistical challenges many single parents face when trying to provide their children with enriching activities outside of school—sports, arts, STEM programs, and more.

Through financial assistance, resource guides, skills workshops, and community-building efforts, we aim to remove those barriers and ensure that every child has a chance to grow, explore their talents, and build confidence. We collaborate with local partners, schools, and community leaders to deliver real, measurable impact.

Founded on the belief that dreams shouldn’t be limited by income or family structure, Dream in Demand exists to ensure that every child has the chance to thrive—and every single parent has the support they deserve. Our work is rooted in and for the East Baton Rouge Parish community.

Our Mission

Our mission at Dream in Demand is to empower single parents by providing resources and financial assistance, enabling their children to participate in enriching extracurricular activities that foster growth, creativity, and confidence.

Our Vision

A community where no child is limited by financial barriers, and single-parent families are celebrated and supported in fostering their children's growth through extracurricular opportunities

single parents in east baton rouge parish

What the data says?

In East Baton Rouge Parish, single-parent households form a substantial part of the community. According to data from the U.S. Census and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, approximately 45.8% of households with children are led by a single parent (FRED, 2023). Of these, single mothers head about 28% of all families, with an average family size of 3.57, while single fathers account for roughly 8.5%, with a family size of 2.89 (ZipAtlas).

Poverty remains a critical issue among single-parent families. The poverty rate for single women in East Baton Rouge Parish stands at 40.9%, significantly higher than the national average of 26.5% (WelfareInfo.org). Some neighborhoods, such as those in zip codes 70807 and 70811, report single-mother poverty rates as high as 70.8% and 63.5%, respectively (ZipAtlas). Additionally, 23.9% of children aged 5–17 in the parish live in poverty, highlighting the pressing need for supportive community structures (FRED).

Amid these socioeconomic challenges, extracurricular activities play a vital role in supporting youth success—academically, socially, and emotionally. Studies consistently show that involvement in afterschool programs, sports, arts, and academic clubs leads to improved school attendance, higher grades, stronger social skills, and lower dropout rates (Afterschool Alliance). For youth from single-parent households, these programs offer not just engagement, but also mentorship, a sense of belonging, and exposure to opportunities that can shape future success.

East Baton Rouge Parish offers a rich variety of extracurricular options through both schools and community programs. By expanding access to extracurricular activities, we help build pathways to success for children in single-parent families—empowering them to thrive academically and socially, and to overcome the barriers presented by poverty and limited resources.

OUR GOALS

Financial Support

To help single parents cover costs for extracurricular activities by providing financial assistance to 100 families annually by partnering with local organizations and donors to secure funding to reduce financial barriers for single-parent families to be achieved by December 2025.

Information Accessibility

Create a resource guide for extracurricular opportunities to distribute the guide to 1,000 single-parent families by collaborating with schools and community centers to helps parents identify suitable activities for their children to be completed and distributed December 2025.

Skills Workshops

Host workshops for single parents on managing extracurricular schedules and budgets by offering six workshops per year with 20 participants each by securing volunteer speakers and venues to equip parents with practical tools for involvement to begin workshops by August 2025.

Community Engagement

Establish a peer support network for single parents and enroll 50 active members within the first year by promoting through social media and local outreach to builds a support system for shared experiences and advice to launch the network by August 2025.

Participation Metrics

Track children’s participation in extracurricular activities to ensure 80% of families supported have children actively engaged in at least one activity by monitoring participation through quarterly surveys to demonstrate program impact to report metrics annually starting December 2025.

Empowering single parents elevating youth