Today, we’re excited to announce that the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded Summits a two-year $2 million grant to expand our Whole Child Approach throughout our 40 primary schools. This incredible investment will allow us to significantly raise the level of education available to some of the world’s poorest, and most promising students.
We launched Summits highlighting the power of teachers. Through teacher and supervisor training, we sought to equip our educators with the tools they need to create vibrant, instructive classrooms where students are able to learn. The next phase for Summits is the implementation of our Whole Child approach. This approach addresses the many dimensions of a child, ensuring that they are able to flourish in both school and life.
To implement this new initiative, Summits will upgrade learning environments, continue to invest in teacher training, and initiate new programs to that ensure each student is healthy, safe, engaged, challenged, and supported.
This grant will enable us to:
- Hire full-time nurses to bring school-based preventative care + non-emergency medical attention to Summits students.
- Build new kitchens in nine schools, paving the way for over 2,000 students to receive a nutritious meal every day.
- Transform preschool classrooms with new learning materials, equipment, and 30 trained teaching staff to better engage students at the start of their education.
- Provide new textbooks for 3,000 students in grades three through eight.
- Expand 10 schools to include grades seven through nine, enabling 1,000 students a year to remain in school. This means building 30 additional classrooms and hiring 30 additional teachers.
- Fund a second year of intensive teacher training for our 350 Summits educators with our partners InnovED-UniQ.
- Launch high functioning school councils to bring together all school constituents, including students, teachers, and community members, for reflection, advocacy, planning, and decision making at the school house level.
Thank you for helping us saying yes to the possibilities that exist in every child. We're proud and excited to stand with the Kellogg Foundation, our partners, and with each of you to continue to deliver high-quality education to the world’s most vulnerable children.