At the Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, we are asking vital questions: How big is the opportunity gap between lower- and higher-income children? Why does the opportunity gap matter? Why do comprehensive supports for young children and families make a difference? And what will it take for all children to thrive in an era of uncertainty?
We combine research and deep conversations on these and other questions of our time with the insights that can only come from working in close partnership with children, families, schools, and communities across the United States and, increasingly, across the globe.
The research-practice partnership at the heart of our Center is City Connects. This Fall, City Connects will be in about 200 schools, including 21 new schools across five U.S. states and in Ireland, which recently launched the National Centre for City Connects Ireland. Learning from City Connects and other integrated support interventions informed the development of the first National Guidelines for Integrated Student Support. These guidelines are the foundation of a professional development academy that the Center delivers in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy. This Fall, 30 schools in Massachusetts are participating.
Comprehensive, systemic approaches to supporting the whole child and whole family are undoubtedly a critical part of what it will take to help all children thrive. We are at the forefront of pursuing big questions and developing scalable solutions, and we invite you to learn along with us.
Warmly,
Eric Dearing
Executive Director
So begins the latest newsletter from the Center for Thriving Children. In this edition, we spotlight:
- The Helping Children Thrive in an Age of Uncertainty webinar
- A story on new Full Service Community School grants
- City Connects’ expansion in Ireland
- The publication of our study on opportunity gaps
- And so much more.
How do you stay current with the great work being done by City Connects and the Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children? Signing up for our emails and newsletters will deliver the latest news to your inbox. In addition to the Center newsletter, you can sign up for the Weekly Connect, a digest of news stories and research on the whole child that we publish each Monday. We also have a City Connects newsletter, which covers the news and stories from around our network of schools.
Sign up and learn along with us!
