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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm

Starts Right Here

Home
United States
Des Moines, IA
Starts Right Here

We encourage and educate young people living in disadvantaged and oppressive circumstances.

06/02/2026

Annahi - Science
Charlie - English
Kaeshaun - English
Justus - Social Studies
Yeeeeeeeeeeee 1 more day of school!! What a great year!!

05/30/2026

Meet the leaders of tomorrow: our 2026 graduate class of Starts Right Here! Don't worry I have more yeeeeeeeee!!! Photo's by Dolezel

05/21/2026

It was really cool to have Adam Steen, who is running for governor, come spend time at Starts Right Here and talk with our students. No matter your political views, it means something when people take the time to connect with and listen to young people in our community. We appreciate him stopping by and pouring into our kids.

05/20/2026

💢ANOTHER ONE 💢Tanner Joe Leaf graduated y'all 🎓 yeeeeeeeee!!! Boy boy boy, this is a true blessing!! Im just going to let him tell it. But thank you, DMPS and Options Academy, for everything. Without you guys, this wouldn't be possible for them.

Words from Tanner

The experience that I had at Starts Right Here was good, enlightening, and helped bring me back up from me just saying “f**k school.” It taught me about a lot, not just in education, but about life, what it was going to bring us, and how to help us better ourselves. All the way from the talks we would have on the porch to the one-on-one talks, they gave me another chance at a thing I thought I would never get through. I know I had my bad times, days, and moments, and all the staff understood every student. I loved the people that I got to meet and the staff. I liked that when something went wrong, it was always a “let’s see what we can do to fix this problem.” I loved the motivation they put into me and all the students to get things done and do what we thought would take us forever. I’m really appreciative of all that they did for me and helping me get through a problem I thought would probably never better me, and it did every day.

05/18/2026

💢 Another one 💢 PreShawn Prather graduated 🎓 y'all yeeeeeeeee!!!! This kid has so much energy and so much potential to be anything he wants to be. We are incredibly proud of him. Thank you to DMPS and Options Academy for partnering with us and helping us support our kids as they grow, learn, and succeed.

Words from Preshawn....

Starts Right Here gave me a second home. As much as I loved my home school, I couldn’t keep myself out of fights. They showed me what it was like to be in a loving environment that felt like family, “a second home away from home.”
Will always said, “It’s not what you’ve been through, it’s how you get through it.” That will always stick with me. Even though I kept getting into fights at my home school, I still made it happen. I didn’t give up on myself, and neither did they.
So thank you, Will Keeps, for your guidance and words of affirmation. Thank you, Miea, for your support and for keeping me on track and making sure I succeeded. Thank you, Te’rae, for being like a brother who was always there to talk to. Thank you, Jalil, for your encouragement, and Nikki for calling me every morning to make sure I was at school. And thank you to all the teachers who helped me get to where I am today.
Thank you, Starts Right Here!

05/17/2026

Clip
A conversation about identity, staying true to yourself, and building something meaningful for the community despite the odds
https://youtu.be/qzTtqmSF6VE?si=jQoaNnhk-5jSffAh

05/15/2026

💢Another One💢 Dylan Graduated ya'll Yeeeeeeee!!!! Maaaaaaaan stay focused!! You got this fam!! We love you so much!!! Thank you DMPS AND OPTIONS ACADEMY FOR HELPING US HELP OUR KIDS SUCCEED!!!

Words from Dylan...

My names Dylan and i wanna say a big thank you to the whole starts right here movement without them i would have felt lost they gave my the motivation to keep going even when i was at my lowest they never gave up on me even on the days i felt like doing nothing i wouldn’t have graduated without them from the place i was at to the place i am now i give full credit to ms mea, mr trae, will keeps, and wizz they pushed me to be my best and put my all into everything i did thank you and love you all🫶🏻

05/14/2026

Starts Right Here Podcast yeeeeeeeee

05/11/2026

Hahaaaaa 💢ANOTHER ONE💢 Nayna Sale Graduated ya'll 🎓 Yeeeeeeeeeeee!!! This girl, I tell you, was a tough one 🤦🏿‍♂️. But she made it through, and we are so proud of her. Thank you. DMPS AND OPTION ACADEMY FOR HELPING US HELP OUR KIDS SUCCEED!!!

Words from Nayna...
I wanna say thank you to srh so much for helping and supporting me with everything especially staying on track with school , Your guidance, encouragement, and patience truly helped me accomplish my goals and make it through this journey. I appreciate everything you have done for me and I’m very grateful for your staff support.
Thank you again for believing in me and helping me succeed.

05/08/2026

💢ANOTHERONE💢! Ny'Anna Thompson graduated, y'all, yeeeeeeeee! This girl is so awesome! Ny'Anna, thank you for trusting us, for real, we love you. And thank you, DMPS and Options Academy, for helping us help our kids succeed!

Words from Ny'Anna

First start off saying thanks to SRH for letting me come n join the program they helped me a lot n learn a lot i probably wouldn’t have graduated on time but coming here made that happen n im forever grateful for them, this school helped me stay focus stay n class n do my work I’m thankful for the support and opportunities this school gave me The teachers and staff supported me when I needed help.

Address

455 SW 5th Street
Des Moines, IA
50309

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+5154101184

Website

https://startsrighthere.org/

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