Sometimes, the smaller things that are required to build up to the bigger impact. This concept can apply to the brick-by-brick-laying that goes into constructing a school or a playground or the steady layering of learning that goes into the transformation of a student to a member of the community.
For the Littleton School District in Littleton, NH, all of this applies – and thanks to the mission of CMF Kids and the power of your generosity, students with complex disabilities are finding pathways to independence and future success.
Bill Hart, Superintendent of the SAU, has witnessed this first hand and you just have to exchange a few words with him before you realize how indelible the CMF Kids investments have been for his teachers, families, and, most important, his students.
“We’ve tried awfully hard to keep all of our students that are living in our community, staying in the schools,” he says. “We want to keep students with disabilities with their peer groups and.
integrate students who may be a little bit different from others. We want Littleton children to participate in Littleton as much as possible.”
That is the north star for CMF Kids – community participation, school integration, and awesome educational outcomes for children with complex disabilities. To that end, thanks to the support of funding partners and, especially, donors like you, CMF Kids was able to make a substantial impact in the Littleton community.
Pathways to Independence
First, was our infrastructure initiative that dramatically improved the life skills program operated by the school district, which provides important, practical, essential life skills needed for living an independent life within the community. The life skills room is outfitted with the appliances and infrastructure that gives students the chance to test-run their skills in advance of adulthood, helping them learn how to cook, master laundry skills, plan meals, maintain a home environment, learn money management, practice interviewing techniques, and more.
“It’s been quite some time since any of the equipment in the program has been updated,” Bill says. “The support from CMF Kids helped replace stoves and refrigerators, washers and dryers, and change the layout of the room for better workflow and accessibility for all students.”
Why the need for CMF Kids?
“When you’re looking to make those kinds of changes, unfortunately, getting those into your budget can take years,” he says. “Kids in school now can’t wait, they needed these infrastructure projects now.”
“Research has shown that programs like this can be catalysts for success for students with disabilities,” says Melissa White, Executive Director of CMF Kids. “They are getting ready for a future of independence, to be employed in their community, to live on their own, and build their social networks.”
The revitalization of the life skills area means more than new appliances; it is a message to these students that they are worthy of more than dilapidated equipment. Especially when that equipment can offer a stainless steel ticket to, as Bill says, “a basic life skill set that they are going to need to have autonomy as adults.”
“People are thrilled,” BIll says. “Your physical environment is so important. Years ago, I read research that talked about the unspoken message kids can get from how the physical environment is maintained. When we’re able to invest with CMF Kids support, it gives students, staff, and parents, this message: ‘you matter.’”
Strengthening the Future
But that’s not all! Your support of Crotched Mountain Foundation and CMF Kids goes even further in its impact for Littleton families. Beyond the life skills area, CMF Kids brought game-changing opportunities to the school, aimed at enhancing educational outcomes and building a durable and cutting-edge academic structure.
To this end, CMF Kids brought two pieces of innovation to this north country community: 1) the Orton-Gillingham district-wide reading program and 2) a new teaching fellowship opportunity with Plymouth State College that supports community-based, networking and recreational activities to facilitate acclimation to the region to assist with teacher retention.
The Orton-GiIllingham program is a renowned reading approach, geared to equip students of all needs and abilities with the tools they need to achieve new heights in literacy.
General education and special education teachers are using the same approaches in reading, so that when students toggle between general education and special education are receiving a consistent approach to learning.
“It is a time of critical shortage in New Hampshire for special educators, which profoundly affects rural, remote communities,” says Melissa. “CMF Kids is supporting the Littleton school district and Plymouth State special education teaching residency program through opportunities that help lead to special education teacher retention.”
Stay tuned for more information about how your support will help launch a special education pilot program later this year!
“We have these talented people getting cutting edge strategies on how to support students with special needs,” Bill says. “They’re getting concrete experience but also sharing all of what they are learning at PSU with our teachers.”
“It is a time of critical shortage in New Hampshire for special educators, which profoundly affects rural, remote communities.”
He continues: “We’ve already seen that in classes with teacher residents, the scores were higher on literacy testing. And, for us, it’s a great recruiting tool. One of the residents from our first cohort applied for and received a lead teacher position that had been open all year long. We’ve got this great young, talented, well-educated teacher that will lead this program.”
Indeed, things are just getting started, and the building blocks are there for a new dawn of amazing outcomes for children of the greatest need.
But, before we end, a message from Bill Hart, on behalf of the families and teachers and students of Littleton, to you, the supporters who made this all happen:
“You are making a difference.”