The Children’s Guild District of Columbia Public Charter School received a five-year renewal of the school’s charter contract. The D.C. Public Charter School Board voted to renew the school’s charter at the board’s Dec. 16 meeting.

“We provide a personalized education for each of our students to help them learn, grow and become caring and committed citizens. To that end, we’re continually striving to make our school better for our students and families. We appreciate the school board’s recognition of our efforts,” said Kathy Lane, chief of educational services for The Children’s Guild Alliance, operator of The Children’s Guild D.C. Public Charter School.

The Children’s Guild D.C. Public Charter School uses the Transformation Education philosophy to prepare the accelerated learner, struggling learner and child with special needs for college, career and citizenship by developing critical thinking, creative problem-solving skills, self-discipline and a commitment to serving others. Established in 2015, the school serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

The Children’s Guild D.C. Public Charter School is an affiliate member of The Children’s Guild Alliance, a nonprofit organization serving children, families and child-serving organizations dedicated to transforming how America educates and cares for its children through education, behavioral health and national training and consultation services. Affiliates of The Children’s Guild Alliance include The Children’s Guild, Monarch Academy public charter and contract schools, The Academy for Working Students (TAWS), TranZed Apprenticeships, The Transformation Education Institute, National At-Risk Education Network (NAREN) and The National Children’s Guild Fund.

Monarch Academy Annapolis launched this week a two-week gratitude program called the “Look for the Good Project,” where students share their gratitude with others, add notes to a “Gratitude Wall,” write letters of appreciation and perform acts of kindness throughout the school. The program will take place through Jan. 17, 2020 with a “Family Gratitude Night” on Jan. 15, 2020.

“We’re kicking off the new year with a focus on gratitude,” said Rachel Amstutz, principal of Monarch Academy Annapolis. “This is a simple yet amazing program that brings together students and staff to share what they’re thankful for with each other. It’s a powerful experience.”

The program comes from Look for the Good Project, a nonprofit organization in Connecticut that seeks to “make America kind, one school at a time” following the “belief that gratitude changes mindsets, reduces violence, and improves everything.” In three years, 121,545 elementary school children in 30 states have participated in the Look for the Good Project’s school program, generating almost 2 million messages of gratitude to inspire kindness in their communities.

For more information about the program, visit www.lookforthegoodproject.org.

Monarch Academy charter and contract schools are affiliate members of The Children’s Guild Alliance, a nonprofit organization serving children, families and child-serving organizations and dedicated to transforming how America educates and cares for its children through education, behavioral health and national training and consultation services. Affiliates of The Children’s Guild Alliance include The Children’s Guild, The Children’s Guild D.C. Public Charter School, The Academy for Working Students (TAWS), TranZed Apprenticeships, The Transformation Education Institute, National At-Risk Education Network (NAREN), and The National Children’s Guild Fund. (www.childrensguild.org)

TranZed Apprenticeships, a nonprofit registered apprenticeship provider with the mission of expanding modern apprenticeships throughout the United States, partnered with the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania to provide technology apprenticeships to Pennsylvania companies and meet the need for skilled workers.

“We’re excited for the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania to join us in the apprenticeship revolution, a movement to train and connect skilled workers with employers in need of talent,” said Paul Champion, president of TranZed Apprenticeships. “Apprentices earn and learn at the same time, closing the skills gap and becoming crucial additions to the modern workforce.”

The Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania (TCCP) is a technology trade association whose mission is to connect members and organizations to promote technology and fuel economic development throughout the Central Pennsylvania region. Established in 1990, the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania has helped technology companies and individuals throughout Central Pennsylvania grow and succeed by building partnerships, offering business development opportunities, playing a key role in attracting and retaining diverse talent, providing technology leadership and recognizing innovators.

“We see our new partnership with TranZed Apprenticeships as an innovative way to help our members recruit and retain the best talent while also distinguishing themselves and the technology community throughout Central Pennsylvania within a highly competitive national pool of employers,” said Ann Hughes, president and CEO of the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania.

In addition to providing apprenticeships to TCCP members, TranZed Apprenticeships will offer its “Open 4 Apprenticeships” toolkit and consultation to educate businesses about the benefits of modern apprenticeships. TranZed Apprenticeships and the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania will also cross-promote opportunities to their networks.

“Modern apprenticeships improve business productivity and performance, reduce recruitment and training costs and strengthen the workforce,” Champion said. “Apprentices become valued employees with improved engagement, problem-solving skills, greater leadership potential and flexibility under less supervision. They give businesses a competitive advantage in the marketplace.”

TranZed Apprenticeships works to advance modern apprenticeships throughout the United States and offers apprenticeship programs in the Mid-Atlantic developed to address the need for alternative career paths. Apprenticeships combine on-the-job, competency and project-based training with job-related classroom instruction. They offer an earn-and-learn model where apprentices earn money starting their first day and receive pay increases as they gain additional skills and master their occupations. (tranzedapprenticeships.com)

We invite you to take a moment and review this year’s Annual Report and learn about the many ways The Children’s Guild Alliance educates and supports children. It begins with putting kids first. Whether we are giving a student a chance to try new things or helping a foster parent care for a child with special needs, The Children’s Guild Alliance is addressing the challenges faced by today’s children and families.

Highlights from FY2019 include:

• The launch of Kids First, a movement designed to transform the way America cares for and educates its children. Our goal is to influence the leaders in our society to take the actions needed to give every child the opportunity to succeed.
• Thirty-eight high school seniors graduated from the TranZed Academy for Working Students program. Many of these students are continuing their education at some of the best colleges and universities in the country.
• The University of Maryland College Park selected The Children’s Guild Alliance to manage College Park Academy, a 650-student school serving 6-12th graders in College Park.
• A partnership with League of Dreams that gives our students the opportunity to experience the joys, challenges, and personal growth gained from playing baseball regardless of their physical or mental ability.
• The unveiling of a new name, The Children’s Guild Alliance, which pays homage to our founding as The Children’s Guild more than 65 years ago and creates a unified Children’s Guild brand.

We are excited to share our accomplishments and stories of success. None of it would be possible without our dedicated staff, our visionary board, our generous donors, and the support of countless individuals. Together we are making a difference in the lives of children every day.