Middle Grades Math

IMPACT:

PARTNER SPOTLIGHTS

The Bethlehem Center was founded in 1930 by Mrs. Cema Chreitzberg, the Bethel Methodist Church Women’s Missionary Society, and Black community leaders seeking to support residents in Highland. Centering the needs of young children in the work of The Bethlehem Center, services offered over the decades have grown, addressing early care and education, childcare, family economics, food and housing security, transportation, out-of-school-time activities and more. The center was a pioneer in childcentered community building, recognizing the many facets of life that impact the health, well-being, and positive development of children. Its leaders have understood the power and value of place-based work, long before “place-based” was recognized nationally as a focal point for community growth initiatives.

Bethlehem Center staff and volunteers have also understood that community building must always take a two-generation approach. From its founding mission to provide positive childcare for working mothers, to the myriad of services it provides today, building a resident’s capacity for success while doing the same for their children is what makes the Bethlehem Center the heartbeat of Highland and its nearly 1,500 residents. Executive Director Patrena Mims and Center staff work with agencies across Spartanburg County and South Carolina to ensure that necessary resources flow into the Highland Community and build the capacity of its residents for more secure futures and success.

Mims worked tirelessly with Spartanburg County First Steps staff to secure the initial funding for the Highland Early Learning Center and plan for its long-term viability. The Highland Early Learning Center opened on Sept. 8, 2021, made possible by a $300,000 state grant to expand early learning opportunities in high-poverty communities. The Spartanburg County First Steps partnership as well as support from the Mary Black Foundation are part of the collective-impact effort to improve access to early-learning opportunities.

INVESTING IN: THE HIGHLAND COMMUNITY

The Highland Community was awarded $150,000 from SAM's BMP funding to assit children and families disproportionately impacted by the negative consequences of the pandemic and to build capacity with the community. Among the needs identified by Highland community members are: Highland Neighborhood Association: training; improved community communications and outreach resources; support for resident catastrophic loss/ emergency; rental-mortgage, utility and food assistance for residents Education: scholarship assistance for HS graduates currently living in Highland; scholarship assistance for Highland Residents attending or returning to college; Providing SOAR Summer Camp and access to recreational, educational, and cultural events to reduce summer and COVID-19 "slide"; outdoor learning and play equipment for the Highland Early Learning Center Bethlehem Center: Technical assistance and infrastructure upgrades

IMPACT:

INITIATIVES

JOHN T. WARDLAW

INSTITUTE FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

The work of SAM's Continuous Improvement (CI) training hub has continued to create impact throughout the pandemic. Greenbelt training, the first level of Six-Sigma training was provided to 13 educators and community leaders. Each completed projects in their area of work implementing Continuous Improvement practices to solve real-world challenges. CI 101 and 102 courses pivoted to virtual delivery and provided more than 2,000 professional development hours to area educators.

Once safely possible, CI Refresher courses were offered in-person and virtually to help educators renew their commitment and skills to the practices that have proven to have positive impact in Spartanburg County's highest poverty schools. Spartanburg Community College has generously supported the work of the Wardlaw Institute with training space. CI 101 for Educators, CI 102 Tools, and CI 101 for Leaders, providing training for community nonprofit and agency leaders will again be offered in-person as pandemic safety protocols allow. This fall, brand new CI courses have launched:

Lean for Educators guides teachers and administrators through a deeper understanding of the power that small changes can have - for students, parents, classroom and school success.

Statistics for Educators guides teachers and administrators in learning questions to ask when interpreting data. To learn more about the John T. Wardlaw Institute for Continuous Improvement, visit: www.learnwithsam.org/ciinstitute.

280+

Teachers trained in Continuous Improvement during the pandemic

IMPACT:

INITIATIVES

This year, SAM has launched the Center for Resilient Schools and Communities (CRSC). Led by Dr. Jennifer Parker, Director of Child, Youth, and Family initiatives for SAM, the work of the Center is to deeply engage all community members in the child-centered approach. The goal is to build supports and systems that increase children’s success, particularly in neighborhoods where educational disparities exist.

The Center takes a two-prong approach to this work:

1. Evidence-based training for educators and community service providers serving children and families.

Poverty and race have long been linked to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) that can reduce a child's ability to success in school. Training focuses on identifying and responding to influences that inhibit resilience in children and families with a focus on multi-generation approaches. 2. Community engagement and training for parents and community to mitigate the impact of stress, ACEs and negative impacts of poverty, learn positive engagement strategies and build life long resilience capacity. The first series of evidence-based training is the Resilient Schools Training Level 1 - designed for educators, counselors, and administrators working in a school or community environment. To learn more, visit: www.learnwithsam.org/crsc

SHARED VISION PARTNERS

Many individual and community organizations became vision partners when SAM first organized. They understood the need for the work to be done to improve outcomes for children living across Spartanburg County. In the years since, many have participated in specific collaborative action(*) efforts. Some have also begun to participate in our Continous Improvement(CI) trainings to reframe their internal projects toward collective impact targets.

»AccessHealth Spartanburg *,CI » Adult Learning Center » The Honorable Rita Allison * » Arthur State Bank » AVK Dance Studio * » BabyNet* » BARS Academy * » Big Brothers, Big Sisters * » Birth Matters *,CI » Boys & Girls Club of the Upstate » Carolina Alliance Bank » The Cate Law Firm » Center for Child Advocacy

Studies at USC Upstate * » Chapman Cultural Center /

The Arts Partnership *,CI » Citizen Scholars Program *,CI » City of Spartanburg * » City of Woodruff » Come Closer Spartanburg » CONNECT * » Converse College * » Department of Juvenile Justice *,CI » Duke Energy » Early Learning Center at Park Hills » Fairway Outdoor Advertising » First African Methodist Church » First Presbyterian Church *,CI » Witney Fisher » Gethsemane Missionary

Baptist Church » Girl Scouts of SC – Mountains to Midlands * » Habitat for Humanity of

Spartanburg *,CI » HALTER * » Help Me Grow * » Help Up Works, Inc. » Hope Remains * » Mary Lou Hightower » Hope Center for Children *,CI » Institute for Child Success (ICS) * » JM Smith Foundation » Junior Achievement of Upstate SC » Junior League of the Upstate *,CI » Life With Jesus Ministries * » Longleaf Holdings, LLC » Mary Black Foundation *,CI » Mary Black Health System » McCulloh Therapeutic Solutions » Middle Tyger Community Center *,CI » Miracle Hill Ministries *,CI » Mt. Moriah Baptist Church » My Brothers Keeper * » Northside Development Corporation * » Nurse Family Partnership * » Palmetto Council, Boy

Scouts of America » Parker Champion Construction » PAL *,CI » PASOs *,CI » Piedmont Care, Inc. » Piedmont Community Action » Pro Grin Dental » QualityCounts * » R.R. Donnelley » The Salvation Army » SC Test Prep » SC Works Greater Upstate *,CI » Sherman College of Chiropractic » Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce *,CI » Spartanburg Art Museum * » Spartanburg Community

Indicators Project * » Spartanburg 7 Teachers Forum » Spartanburg Community College *,CI » Spartanburg Convention & Visitor’s Bureau » Spartanburg County First Steps * » Spartanburg County * » Spartanburg County Foundation * » Spartanburg County Public Libraries *,CI » Spartanburg Herald-Journal * » Spartanburg Hispanic Alliance » Spartanburg Housing Authority » Spartanburg Methodist College » Spartanburg Preparatory School *,CI » Spartanburg School Districts 1-7 *,CI » Spartanburg Science Center » Spartanburg Village Network » Spartanburg’s Way to Wellville * » Spartanburg Youth Theater * » St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School » Summit Hills Retirement, LLC » Eddie Tallon » The Honorable Scott Talley » Town of Lyman » Town of Pacolet * » Truly Yours Web Creations » United Housing Connections *,CI » United Way of the Piedmont *,CI » University of South Carolina Upstate *,CI » Upstate Employers Network » Upstate Futures Group » Upstate Regional Education Center » Upward Sports » Upstate Workforce Investment Board » Walker, Higgins and Associates, LLC » WJ Partners, LLC » Wofford College * » Donna Hicks Wood » Woodruff Community Center » World Relief *,CI » WSPA » YMCA of Greater Spartanburg * » Upstate Family Resource Center *,CI » Urban League of the Upstate* » Virginia College of Osteopathic

Medicine – Carolinas Campus » Bob Walker