From The Blog

What If We Can Make a Change?

What if more Sea Island children could discover a love of reading? What if someone could guide students through their most challenging academic and emotional times? What if teachers didn’t have spend their own salaries on essential classroom supplies? What if we could make these things happen?

Kiawah Cares has been working within our schools, meeting with principals, teachers, students and parents to find solutions to strengthen our educational programs and provide better support to our students and teachers. Needs for the 2019-2020 school year exceed $400,000, and we are asking for your generosity to meet our goal of $225,000.

Almost half of our local students attend schools outside of our district to get a better education, but our students deserve quality educational opportunities here within the Sea Islands. There are valid solutions and strategic plans in place; they simply need the financial fuel to start turning the tide. Together, we can turn the what-ifs into concrete actions.

What could happen if funding needs are met?

Professional in-school student support specialists could be placed in all five schools through Communities In Schools to guide at-risk students to set behavior, attendance, and academic improvement goals, as well as connect them with resources ranging from mentors and counseling to basic need fulfillment. Some kids have adult-sized barriers and comprehensive support can provide them with what they need to succeed. The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program, which provides a hands-on curriculum to engage students in all grades, could launch at Mt. Zion and would be a giant leap in providing quality education. (Learn more about STEM at the Mt. Zion STEM Festival.) Preschoolers could start learning to read with Begin with Books and more elementary school students could increase proficiency with Reading Partners.

More students could participate in educational summer programs, including Angel Oak Elementary’s Summer Reading and Math initiative so they don’t slip behind.

All elementary students in the district could learn how to code if Yo Art is able to launch their basic coding class in all three District 9 schools. Schools would gain music programming through Charleston Jazz and students could practice their creative passions through Soulfully Creative Kids. Teachers wouldn’t have to pay out-of-pocket for essential classroom supplies. Visit kiawahcares/education for all the information about this Kiawah Cares fundraising effort.