>> EDUCATION
Communities in Schools Milledgeville Baldwin County was awarded $145,000 for a one-year extension of the Wrap Around Baldwin grant.
The Wrap Around Baldwin grant was originally a five-year federal Department of Education grant that Communities in Schools Milledgeville Baldwin County applied to in partnership with Georgia College & State University, the Baldwin County School District (BCSD), and the Community Healthcare System.
Due to COVID, an extension was given on the grant funding for another year. This extension will be used to complete the Neighborhood Leaders program, provide funding for the school-based healthcare clinic, and continue to provide student support services to Lakeview Primary and Midway Hills Primary.
“It was originally for $2.3 million, and we finished up the original grant cycle last year. Its funding contributed to hiring full-time site coordinators in both primary schools and to start the school-based health care clinic and Neighborhood Leaders program,” said Janet Cavin, executive director of Communities in Schools Milledgeville Baldwin County. “It was going great but then COVID hit so we were given the chance to have an extension to finish the work we set out to do.”
The Neighborhood Leaders program works with community partners throughout Baldwin County to bring literacy and parent resources, alongside fun events and learning opportunities, into neighborhoods. The program began in 2018 and was halted during COVID-19 but returned during the 2022-23 school year.
Four events were hosted last year and this year, according to Cavin, they are considering hosting an event once a quarter.
This year, the program will also be able to fund mental health professionals to be a part of events and offer a series of resources related to mental health to pass around.
“The program is very successful and has helped provide resources and fun, educational opportunities to multiple neighborhoods around the county,” said Cavin. ‘We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from parents and guardians and have had great turnouts at our events.”
The school-based healthcare clinic, known as the Bee Well Clinic, opened in October 2019 at the Early Learning Center. The clinic works to alleviate the barriers that parents may have to getting their child quality healthcare during the school day and helps to keep students at school, rather than having them be taken out for the day to go to the doctor.
It serves Head Start through high school, faculty and staff of BCSD, and the immediate families of each. Wrap Around Baldwin helps to fund the telehealth services offered by the clinic, immunizations, funding staff, and other resources for the clinic.
“We describe it as a regular doctor’s office in the middle of our school district,” said Cavin.
“Anything that you can do at a primary care physician’s clinic, you can do at the Bee Well Clinic. So, for our students, we want to ensure they have preventative care but also sick care.”
As an organization, Communities in Schools works with the public school system to provide tutors and mentors that help students in need.
Both Midway Hills Primary and Lakeview Primary have their own on-site coordinators who help with this initiative and work with students.
As part of the grant, funding will be used to support the Read United Program and to alleviate barriers that affect students at these schools.
“Read United will offer comprehensive tutoring to kindergarten through second-grade students to help ensure they are reading on grade level.
Funding will help with the training of tutors and purchasing resources for the program,” said Cavin. “Examples of some barriers that will be alleviated through funding include food insecurity and schoolwide support programs.”
Wrap Around Baldwin has been a large supporter of Communities in Schools Milledgeville Baldwin County’s many initiatives and programs.
“We’re thankful for the funding and impact and partnerships we have made thanks to Wrap Around Baldwin,” said Cavin. “It has been a huge help to not only our organization but to our many partners.”