Kids spend about 20% of their waking hours at school. And while focusing on academics is important, that time also represents an important opportunity to focus on the whole child, helping students develop skills they’ll need to thrive in their lives and in their communities. At the Children’s Services Fund, we’re so grateful to partner with organizations who help kids learn and develop in holistic ways.
One of those great partners is Citizens of the World Charter School, whose mission is to provide an excellent public education focused on developing and demonstrating understanding while building connections within a diverse community. In addition to academics, Citizens places a high value on two elements that are key to their students’ development: social-emotional development and diversity.
Social-Emotional Development
For the past four years, the CSF has been supporting Citizens toward their goal of building a trauma-informed school, focused on Conscious Discipline and Restorative Justice. “We provide our staff with the training they need to be restorative in nature,” says Dr. Danielle Miles, Executive Director. “We’re working toward building a community that allows students to make mistakes, learn, and fix harm.”
As they work toward better ways to serve kids’ social-emotional needs, Citizens’ approach has made an impact. Students who have enrolled having struggled with behaviors or emotional regulation in their previous environments have made steps forward—more time at school, more time in class, more appropriate reactions to difficult situations. “We’ve been able to help kids who haven’t been successful in other places,” says Dr. Miles.
Through providing healthy social-emotional support, Citizens’ goal is to help their graduates know and be confident in themselves and have strong relationships with their peers. “It’s a work in progress,” says Dr. Miles. “But we’re committed.”
A Diverse School Community
Citizens of the World also works intentionally to develop a diverse learning community for their students. They believe that it’s important for students to work alongside peers across lines of difference to help learn and practice self-understanding and empathy to solve the complex problems that exist in our world.
“One of our core values is diversity and community,” says Dr. Miles. “When you go to a diverse school, you learn from different types of people. You learn to function in life alongside people from different backgrounds. You appreciate that everyone has a story, and their story isn’t like yours. You learn to function within different settings and connect with different people in a more authentic way.”
This focus on diversity has a visible impact on the students at Citizens. “I see among our students a real appreciation for differences. Giving them a chance to learn in a diverse community where it’s okay to learn and make mistakes has given them freedom to be authentic and appreciate other people’s stories. It’s really important for kids to be in spaces where not everyone looks like them.”
Real Impact on Real Kids
The support that we’re able to provide to Citizens of the World Charter School—support that you’re a part of, if you’re a resident of Jackson County—is making a real impact on the lives of real kids. “We would not be able to do this work without the Children’s Services Fund,” Dr. Miles says. “We’re very grateful for what their support enables us to do for our students.”
“The other thing I want people to know is that we are a work in progress,” says Dr. Miles. “We are working to establish a restorative community focused on three things: anticipating transformation, instilling belonging, and practicing reflection. If we can get that right in the school, then we can get that right in the community as a whole.”
At the Children’s Services Fund, we are grateful for our partnership with organizations like Citizens of the World Charter School, who are impacting Jackson County kids every single day. We look forward to continuing our partnership together to help kids develop and grow the skills they need to thrive in life and in their communities.
