FAQ
Q. What is the actual cost to MEF to serve each student in the program?
A. The cost per student is approximately $2,600 per academic year.
Q. How many students are enrolled in the program?
A. In FY2012, 1,101 unduplicated students were enrolled in MEF programs.
Q. How many volunteers does MEF have?
A. In fiscal year 2012, 358 individuals gave their time to MEF as program volunteers. The volunteer-to-staff ratio was 21 to 1.
A. Traditionally, eight to nine percent of volunteers each year are MEF alumni.
Q. How many direct service program hours does each student receive per week?
A. During the academic year, students receive 2.5 direct service program hours per week at Metro (the girls’ center) and 3.8 hours per week at Midtown (the boys’ center). During the summer program, they receive 25 hours per week.
Q. How many direct service program hours does a student receive annually?
A. 215 hours for Metro students and 255 hours for Midtown students.
Q. What is your student retention rate?
A. In fiscal year 2012, 63% of students returned from the previous academic year program.
Q. What is the college prep high school enrollment rate for MEF students?
A. In 2012, 88% of the graduating eighth grade class achieved college prep high school enrollment.
Q. What is the high school graduation rate for MEF students?
A. In 2012, 100% of our seniors graduated from high school. This was the thirteenth consecutive MEF Senior Class to achieve this distinction.
Q. What is the rate of college enrollment for MEF students?
A. In 2012, 100% of our seniors enrolled in college. This was the thirteenth consecutive MEF Senior Class to achieve this distinction.
Q. What percentage of MEF students are from low-income households?
A. In 2012, 86% of MEF students came from low-income households. MEF uses HUD standards to define income levels.
Q. What percentage of MEF’s annual revenue is spent on fundraising and admin?
A. In fiscal year 2011, 76% of the annual revenue (including the value of donated volunteer hours) supported direct program expenses.
Q. What percentage of MEF’s Board members donate either funds or services?
A. In FY 2012, 97 percent.
Q. How much do members of the board donate in actual cash?
A. In FY 2012, approximately $186,420.
Q. What is Opus Dei, and what is its connection to MEF?
A. Opus Dei is a personal prelature of the Catholic Church—an institution whose members seek holiness in their ordinary work and circumstances. It was members of Opus Dei and their colleagues who founded the Midtown Center for boys out of social concern, which led to the organization known today as MEF. While MEF programs are non-denominational in delivery, they are inspired by the social teaching of the Catholic Church and the prelature of Opus Dei, and reflect a mutual concern for the needy.
Q. How does MEF measure the academic progress of its students?
A. Program staff use English and math grades from students’ actual report cards, comparing them from one academic year to the next. While the MEF program may not be the sole factor in a student’s improvement, this is a concrete measurement and students and parents themselves often report that MEF was the motivating force for improvement.
Q. What have those measurements shown?
A. In academic year 2012, 62% of students achieved a B or better in math and in English.
Q. What percentage of MEF students attend public, private or parochial schools?
A. Typically, 60% of students in the One-on-One Program (grades four through six) are enrolled in public schools and 40% in parochial or private schools. By high school, the percentages typically have switched, with 60% of students coming from private or parochial schools and 40% from public. We believe this shift is typically caused by MEF’s intervention. In FY12 63% of all MEF students were enrolled in CPS schools.
Q. What neighborhoods does MEF serve?
A. MEF programs primarily serve the Pilsen, Little Village, and North Lawndale neighborhoods, though they are city-wide.
Q. How many employees does MEF have?
A. As of fiscal year 2012, MEF employs a full-time staff of eighteen
Q. How many professional teachers are employed by MEF programs?
A. MEF employs approximately 36 teachers annually. Program staff works to hire only professional educators to lead academic classes.
Q. What is MEF’s total organizational budget?
A. For fiscal year 2013, $2,924,998.
Q. What percentage of parents are regularly involved in the programs?
A. In fiscal year 2012, 80% of parents attended at least one seminar per semester.