Site Visit

Great news! We jumped from 40% attendance in September to 90% attendance in October. All of our efforts are paying off. We also had a fantastic visit from a potential board member. Following the protocol for our “site visits” he came with our Directors and met our staff and a group of our students. It was surprising and wonderful to witness the students opening up to someone they had never met before. During the conversation our Associate Executive Director asked the kids why they had previously skipped school. One student answered that he felt bad about his low grades in school and rather than confronting his negative feelings about his performance in class, he choose to skip school altogether. His answer was so self-reflective and honest for a young adolescent! The potential board member also spoke about his previous struggles in school, and the students really responded to his openness.

Most of all I think what allowed the students to share so freely during the site visit is the fact that they have such an honest and caring rapport with me and my team of social workers. The students know we care about their well-being and attendance and that we want to know about any issues that impact them emotionally. One student even said during the site visit “I have never had people care about me, about my life, and how I am doing in school before Partnership with Children.”