Since the destructive hurricanes of 2017, children in St. Croix bear the burden of limited resources, closed schools, and slow recovery. Our school supports 100 students in social-justice, environmental, creative arts, and academics. This project ensures the poorest in STX can access early childhood education; builds additional classrooms and space for critical support services; provide ample books and materials to children as well as support to traumatized families with high chronic stress.
St. Croix is home to 10,000 children: a third live in poverty; 1 in 4 lack health insurance. KidsCount reports 50% of children lack kindergarten readiness; 66% of 5th graders are below reading proficiency and 80% are below math proficiency. After two Cat5 hurricanes, 9 schools closed and 60% of students in the USVI have depressive symptoms (UVICERC). This project provides 100 students education and critical family resources to reduce the impact of trauma and support families' long-term recovery.
STXM is the only school on St. Croix trained, providing, and measuring developmental-based learning and building children's executive functioning skills, a foundation to process trauma. Parents are trained in child care, nutrition, and tools to reduce chronic stress. We support children inside and outside of the classroom in building independence, social and personal responsibility and awareness, healthy nutrition, and positive self-image. We connect families to essential services.
Our commitment is to model an equitable learning community across every area of our school - from policy and practice to classroom and leadership. This project educates 100 students (ages 2-12), provides families tools for navigating through trauma, and increases organizational capacity. This project ensures the most vulnerable of our island have life-skills for rising out of poverty, building an economic future and healthy well-being for their family. We will also increase teacher retention.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
