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How can we ensure children with special needs are given the same opportunities as their peers? The Children’s Guild creates opportunities for these students to share their gifts with the world. This year, the Children’s Guild School of Prince George’s County organized their first High School Student Council (HSSC) to give their students a chance to be leaders among their peers and increase their community involvement.

The students at the Children’s Guild School of Prince George’s County are children ages 5-21 who have emotional disabilities, autism, intellectual disabilities, or multiple disabilities. The 10 active members of the HSSC meet weekly and have already made changes within their school community. For example, HSSC members decided to deliver lunch to every classroom so that they can connect with all their peers. An ongoing project is the School Store program, established to develop financial literacy in a real-world setting by selling school merchandise such as shirts, book bags, hats, etc. The student council gives the students a voice and a chance to advocate for themselves and other students on topics such as school activities, assisting the community, and starting new student clubs. They will continue to shine brightly, developing leadership skills by attending board meetings for The Children’s Guild.

The development of the student council is a large step for this school as they work to create more opportunities for students with disabilities. The Children’s Guild School of Prince George’s County knows that the youth they serve are meant for greatness. Already, the student council has bettered their school environment by giving our students a voice and a chance to advocate for themselves and other students around topics such as school activities, assisting the community, and starting new student clubs.

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When we see a need, how can we offer a trusted solution? On November 1, 2021, the Transformation Academy opened their doors to welcome their very first student. Transformation Academy serves students ages 5-21 whose primary diagnosis is autism, but who may also have co-existing diagnoses of sensory processing disorder, a specific learning disability, health impairment, or multiple disabilities.

Transformation Academy’s highly trained staff is eager to make positive strides with students and their families. Just one month after opening, three additional students enrolled in Transformation Academy, and then six more – bringing the total served to 10 bright young lives with 10 unique skills sets and specialized goals. Transformation Academy’s staff has been amazed at the overwhelmingly positive response from local school systems, embracing this new school. In 2022, Transformation will open and expertly staff two additional classrooms to serve more students.

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Can Monarch Global Academy provide unique, creative, student-driven, and highly enriching elective choices in their small middle school?

Middle school is the first time where students can pick their own curriculum. However, fun courses are too often overshadowed by high school pre-requisites. This school year, Monarch Global Academy was looking for an innovative way to boost choice and engagement with their middle schoolers and inspire them to become life-long learners.

Over the summer, Monarch Global Academy polled 6th-8th grade students to share topics that they felt passionate about learning and were not already in the school’s existing curriculum. Teachers used that input to build quarter long units called Explorations including Forensic Science, Escape Room Building, STEAM Lab, Thespians, Minecraft Utopia Build, How to Survive, and Anime Analysis. There were 16 Explorations offered in 2021!

One of the inaugural Explorations courses is American Sign Language taught by the 8th grade science teacher, Noelle Humm. Noelle is passionate about American Sign Language and educating others about the deaf community. Students have expanded their relationship with Noelle by being able to discuss science and ASL with her.

Explorations are ungraded, which means students can engage for the sheer joy of learning and teachers have an incredible sandbox to build relationships, try new strategies, and share their love of a particular subject. The students offer quarterly feedback to teachers to improve the Explorations – talk about teamwork!

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How do we serve the individual needs of each and every student who is a part of our schools and programs? A one-size-fits-all model does not measure success for students enrolled at TranZed Academy for Working Students (TAWS). Success for these students is as individual as they are.

In June 2021, Malachi Evans became the first TAWS student to graduate from the program with an associate degree in addition to his high school diploma. Through strategic planning and teamwork, Malachi was able to get a head start on his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at Xavier University. TAWS helped Malachi surge into his career.

Axly was unable to complete her senior year because she needed to take a job to financially contribute to her family. Axly struggled with English as a second language, housing stability, and internet access. When she began at TAWS, Axly was put on a performance improvement plan. Through the support of one-on-one tutoring, her career coach, an Einstein Counselor, and her employer, Axly was able to turn things around. She is set to graduate through TAWS online program in January 2022. Once she graduates, she hopes to explore career options through TranZed Apprenticeships.

TAWS has helped students be successful, no matter what life throws at them.

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Where can parents find a full-day year-round affordable preschool program? In 2021 Monarch Preschool College Park opened its doors to preschool students to offer project-based learning in an enriched environment. Monarch Preschool College Park serves children ages 3-5 and teaches these children that learning is fun! This new preschool has convenient hours, flexible schedules, and an open-door policy that encourages a culture of collaborative family engagement through community. They provide high quality care and education focusing on the whole child at a very affordable price.

Preschool students experience real-life, hands-on learning activities at Monarch Preschool. These activities help students identify their strengths and talents to reach their full potential. They also prepare students for kindergarten. The unique preschool program gives students the opportunity to explore learning throughout the school environment and apply what they learn in school at home. Monarch Preschool is committed to fostering a lifelong love of learning focusing on the whole child and getting children ready for school and life beyond preschool. Monarch Preschool is excited to continue to grow in 2022 to serve more children from the College Park community.

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Every day, how can we go above and beyond our mission and reach deeper into the communities we serve? The Children’s Guild’s Treatment Foster Care program answers that call.

This program serves children with complex emotional problems and challenging behaviors due to adverse childhood experiences and the resulting trauma. We place children in a home and family setting with highly trained, nurturing, and supervised treatment families. We offer training and support to foster families and also support to the birth families.

On November 23, 2021, Treatment Foster Care delivered turkeys and grocery store gift cards to six birth families of children and youth who are involved in this program. This event is at the heart of our mission to transform families, reunite children with parents, and keep kinship relationships strong while they are living in a foster home.

Treatment Foster Care is driven to go beyond the day-to-day operational requirements of the state, as illustrated by this annual event.

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Are we doing enough to normalize mental health care, one student and teacher at a time? Mental health awareness has been a popular topic in the country over the past year, especially the challenges of returning to school amid a pandemic. The Children’s Guild prioritizes mental health awareness in all its schools and programs. Outpatient Mental Health Clinic (OMHC) provides mental health services in schools across Maryland. This program promotes wellness programs for the whole school as well as provides supplementary counseling services to individual students.

In October 2021, eight OMHC clinicians facilitated a staff wide dialogue to help staff at Annapolis High School understand how essential it is to provide a safe, healthy, and open environment for the students. They encouraged caregivers and teachers to reflect on their own needs for mental health care as well, which helps to encourage more empathy towards students and clients.

Caring for the whole community – students, families and teachers – provides a more stable, positive learning environment.

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How do we create opportunities to share our name and mission with the communities we serve? We create partnerships with those who share our passion for transforming the lives of children.

The Children’s Guild D.C. Public Charter School partnered with Russell Westbrook, a former Washington Wizards basketball player, to host a holiday giveaway. Almost 300 K-8 students received gifts of wristbands, branded facemasks, Jordan shoes, and backpacks. Westbrook often serves communities where he plays basketball and was connected to TCG-DC by a former board member. Once he heard that Westbrook was looking to provide Christmas gifts, he jumped into action to help coordinate this giveaway at TCG-DC. Westbrook’s generosity created a memorable Christmas for the students, gave the students an opportunity to engage with the local school community, and helped share what TCG-DC is doing to make an impact on the children they serve.

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How do we create a safe space where everyone is welcome? The staff of The Children’s Guild participates in virtual Town Halls. They have become an opportunity for staff members to connect with others through anonymous response mechanisms, chat, breakout rooms, and traditional verbal feedback.

2021’s Town Halls created an opportunity for courageous conversations among staff to happen at the organization level in a respectful setting. This fostered an environment that has allowed The Children’s Guild to evaluate policies and provide an inclusive atmosphere for all employees. These Town Halls touched on difficult topics, such as a more “complete” history curriculum and celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community, Black History Month and those of Hispanic and Asian backgrounds in The Children’s Guild family. An interview format was held for some of the topics, allowing a truly intimate opportunity to get to know members of our staff community. The final Town Hall of 2021 was a Holiday Trivia game where winners earned a gift card and official Children’s Guild swag. The Children’s Guild recognizes that it is important for our staff community to come together and celebrate diversity as well as talk about difficult topics. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not simply things to check off; they are core to The Children’s Guild’s mission of transforming the lives of the those it serves.

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How can we empower every student to feel the thrill of competition? The Children’s Guild, Inc., Baltimore Campus serves children 5-21 years old who have emotional disabilities, intellectual disabilities, or multiple disabilities. Often in the American education system, these students aren’t given opportunities to compete with their peers. But the Children’s Guild School of Baltimore is different.

In Fall 2021, Mr. Cornell Dews taught his high school students about the Stock Market and entered them into the 2021 Maryland Stock Market Game. Despite competing against bigger and more well-known Maryland high schools, Mr. Dews’ students felt confident in the skills he taught them. After days of trading, the results were in: The Children’s Guild, Inc., Baltimore Campus finished in the top 20% of schools competing in the online Maryland Stock Market Game. At one point in the competition, the team even finished in fourth place!

Not only did this competition allow the students to compete against their own age group, it also gave Mr. Dews the chance to teach his students how to buy, sell, and manage stocks. Mr. Dews is fostering financial freedom and stability later in their lives by helping his students develop financial literacy while they are in high school. The Children’s Guild, Inc., Baltimore Campus, education is about teaching the whole child to prepare them for the real world.

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Do options exist if the traditional in-school model doesn’t best serve your child? Now, there is a choice. During the Coronavirus Pandemic, many families were introduced to eLearning for the first time. As the region began to transition back to in-person learning, some families found that their children thrived with this model of learning. Monarch Academy Annapolis was able to step in and provide many families with a continuous and long-term virtual learning option in partnership with Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Monarch Academy Annapolis offers a unique, free, and virtual learning environment for K-5 students and families who discovered that online learning fit their needs better than traditional education options.

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How do we respond to news and events that impact our programs and schools directly? Our TranZed Apprenticeships program is laying the groundwork to serve more people in 2022.

In February 2021, the National Apprenticeship Act was passed by the House and is expected to be passed by the Senate in the coming year. This bill creates a more sustained funding model and calls for the federal government to invest more than $3.5 billion in the Registered Apprenticeship system over the next five years.

This additional funding leads to an increased need for apprenticeship programs nationwide. In anticipation, TranZed Apprenticeships has expanded its team to include an Engagement Manager, Learning Coach, and Employer Relations Specialist. The program currently manages 83 apprentices in 13 states and is planning ahead for notable growth. To help participants in the program be successful, it has pivoted to a delivery focused model with streamlined processes and tracking methods. Our restructured and expanded team will increase the number of apprentices served while simultaneously supporting a higher level of customer service to current and new partners.

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How is The Children’s Guild recognized by international organizations? Since 2019, The Children’s Guild has been working towards reaccreditation from The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) to show that our services are the best available. Every two years The Children’s Guild goes through a renewal process with CARF to maintain our good standing.

CARF surveyors met virtually with The Children’s Guild team on December 2, 2021, and were incredibly pleased with the passion, competence, and sincerity displayed by the team. They also noted that The Children’s Guild is quite innovative with approaches at the program level and developing systems at the HQ level.

They raved about the reports and reviews by the funding sources and referral sources. Both sources reported that even though The Children’s Guild serves the hardest populations, neither have received a single complaint in the last three years. The surveyors also highlighted the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion plan as a solid and notable plan with measurable goals and objectives. The plan is succinct and addresses today’s needs for our organization and community.

After three years of continuous improvement and data gathering, the survey is complete. The Children’s Guild is awaiting the results of CARF’s reaccreditation. The Children’s Guild hopes to continue to be among the renowned international organizations accredited through CARF!

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How can we encourage our students to build a relationship and connection to the natural world? The Children’s Guild prides itself on creating innovative environments for students to have hands on education experiences.

Monarch Academy Glen Burnie was overdue for a renovation; our goal was to renovate the outside play space and construct a greenhouse to serve as an outdoor classroom. Monarch Academy Glen Burnie’s school community came together to raise over $30,000 for this project. Through this fundraiser, additional grants and budget savings, renovation began in October 2021. The blacktop was resurfaced, and a new turf play surface installed, as well as new basketball hoops.

In November, the permit to begin construction on the new greenhouse was approved. Students should be in the new greenhouse this spring, finally having a hands-on outdoor classroom space to experience their learning in a meaningful and interesting way. The course that will be offered in this new space is called Adventure, Communities, and Environment. Students will learn how to take care of themselves, each other, and the natural world. This course will teach the basics of survival (calm, community, air, shelter, water, food) which springboards students into inquiry-based issue investigation and leads to environmental action.

Students have also learned about foraging and where food comes from, which lead to the realization that their school was throwing a significant amount of food away at lunch. In response, students designed a schoolwide composting program, diverting over 1,000 pounds of food waste from the landfill.

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The Children’s Guild Kids First Celebration was the largest fundraising event of the year. This year, we honored Dr. Andrew Ross and his 26-year service at the Guild. Many of our board members and donors were involved throughout the event, including planning, and purchasing sponsorships and tickets. Though this was a virtual event, ticketholders engaged with The Children’s Guild during the program while enjoying treat boxes sent to ticketholders homes. The Kids First Celebration program included musical performances from friends and staff of The Children’s Guild and the Monarch Academy Annapolis Bucket Band students. Ticketholders participated in a live virtual auction of items donated during this event. Nearly $123,000 was raised to support The Children’s Guild’s mission of transforming the lives of the children we serve. More specifically, the money raised at this event helped us outfit an entire sensory room at Transformation Academy. When Transformation Academy welcomed their first student in November 2021, this student was able to enjoy the sensory room on the first day of school.

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The Children’s Guild 14th Annual Golf Classic had a great turnout of 100+ golfers who came out to play and show their support for our schools and programs. Donors, staff, and board members all participated to help make this event our second largest fundraiser of the year. Over $43,000 was raised at this event and this money helped us continue to expand our autism services. The students at the Transformation Academy were directly impacted by the generosity of the golfers through the educational resources these funds were able to provide. Because of the success Transformation Academy students have already experienced, we are preparing to hire more staff and create more space to welcome new students who will benefit from Transformation Academy’s unique approach to education.