“We empower students to be leaders of their tomorrow.”
That’s the vision statement of Brookside Charter School, a tuition-free public charter school that serves Pre-K through 8th grade students within the Kansas City Public School district boundaries. The Children’s Services Fund has been proud to support this amazing school as a funded partner since 2024.
Brookside Charter supports 840 students and employs 175 staff members. Their focus is on marginalized and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, with 96% of their student population being made up of students of color and 100% receiving free or reduced lunch.
Students at Brookside Charter are set up to succeed academically, but that can only happen when their needs are met holistically. “If students are struggling behaviorally, the odds of them succeeding academically are slim,” said Kelly Sales, principal at Brookside Charter School. “We prioritize academics, but we also focus on leadership, community building and supporting students’ mental health needs.”
Supporting the Whole Student
The majority of students at Brookside Charter face challenges outside of school that put their mental health in jeopardy. Many of them are dealing with being unhoused, high crime neighborhoods, or generational mental health issues, and non-traditional living situations—challenges that Brookside Charter faces head-on.
“It’s a struggle for the majority of our kiddos,” Sales said. “We’re working to break the stigma around these issues, and to work through them instead of ignoring them. A lot of students and families come to us not even knowing where to start.”
Kansas City has lots of great resources available for kids with mental health needs. But for many families at Brookside Charter, accessing those resources can be complicated, from the logistics of scheduling appointments with the right providers to issues around transportation to and from appointments. “That’s the benefit of having providers right there at school,” Sales said. “We know the kids are here, and they can receive the services they need.”
The school’s goal is always to support students so that they can increase the number of minutes they’re spending in the classroom. Sometimes taking an initial step backward can be necessary to make sure students are receiving the support they need, but the school checks in every six weeks with the students and the staff members supporting them to determine if progress is being made and if the right interventions are being used. They do this through the PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Support) system, a tiered, evidence-based framework that helps the school identify what level of support students need to thrive in the classroom.
And the results speak for themselves. Because of the school’s proactive approach, they’ve seen students make real, tangible progress, moving from challenging behaviors and mental health struggles to success in the classroom.
Sales shared a story about a student whose family had been dealing with housing insecurity. Last school year, this student was spending less than 50% of the school day in the classroom and needing higher levels of behavioral interventions. This school year, because of the support Brookside Charter was able to offer the student and their family, the student is engaged and learning, spending 100% of the day in the classroom.
Supportive Staff
The Children’s Services Fund is honored to support Brookside Charter’s school-based mental health services. This support has allowed the school to hire two behavior interventionists and a full-time social worker who works directly with families to help support students’ needs outside of school. “If basic needs aren’t being met, then emotional needs aren’t being met,” Sales said. “And without that, mental health needs are definitely not being met.”
All of Brookside Charter School’s staff are trained in trauma-informed care and what to look for when seeking to identify students’ needs and the support that can help. “Classroom teachers are able to see needs at a deeper level, since they are with their students every day,” said Harriet Gunderson, Communication & Development Officer. “That relationship building that happens in the classroom helps us identify our students’ mental health needs. We want this to be a safe space for them.”
Looking Ahead
As they move forward, Brookside Charter plans to continue refining and strengthening their framework for student success through partnerships, services, and funding. The data that they collect over time will help them ensure students are receiving the most effective support and interventions possible, setting them up to thrive in the classroom and beyond.
“That’s the reason we do all of this—for students to be successful, and to provide them the tools to thrive in their communities outside of our school,” Sales said.
At the Children’s Services Fund, we are grateful for the opportunity to support organizations like Brookside Charter School who are making a difference in the lives of Jackson County kids, both in the present and in the future. We look forward to continuing supporting the important work they’re doing in helping kids develop as learners and as leaders who will impact their communities.
