National Mental Health Awareness Month

National Mental Health Awareness Month

May 2022

It is well documented that the COVID pandemic has negatively affected the well-being of many children and families in the nation and Spartanburg County is no exception. Higher levels of stress have resulted in increased anxiety, depression, substance abuse, suicides and violence. These harmful impacts have disproportionately affected low-income families, people of color and children living in high stress environments. According to the Centers for Disease Control, children who have had three or more adverse childhood experiences have a higher prevalence of mental, emotional or behavioral disorders (36.3% versus 11.0%). 

We can prevent many of these poor outcomes when we have safe, supportive, nurturing and equitable environments in our homes, schools and communities. It is well-documented that supportive and nurturing relationships with adults fosters resiliency and increases a child’s capacity to develop essential skills that lead to strong mental, emotional and behavioral well-being. 

The Spartanburg Academic Movement’s Center for Resilient Schools and Communities is an initiative to empower children, families, neighborhoods, and schools with the tools they need to build resilience. CRSC works with Spartanburg County families, schools, and communities to build supports and systems that increase children’s success, particularly in neighborhoods where educational disparities exist.

We believe that every person can achieve success when provided with the necessary resources and support to overcome challenges. Together we can make the impossible achievable.

“Building resilience in children is not about making them tough. Resilience is the ability to recover from difficulties and manage how you feel and act.

The Center also works with supporting agencies that serve those four groupings with the tools they need to develop personal and community resilience. This work is instrumental in reaching the Spartanburg Academic Movement goal to build economic mobility anchored in academic achievement.

Children can learn to manage stressful circumstances when they have the necessary support. We can foster this healthy adaption through building supportive relationships with children and adults in our neighborhoods, churches and schools. Spartanburg has strong evidence supported programs for children and youth such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Citizen Scholars, My Brother’s Keeper, and Girls on the Run to name only a few. We can get involved and support these efforts with our time and resources. 

We must also build supportive relationships with our families who are struggling to get by and connect them to tangible supports that can lead to skills of resilience. We can support efforts to remove barriers and ensure equitable access to resources necessary for families to thrive. 

We cannot always eliminate serious stressors but supportive relationships and healthy coping strategies can turn overwhelming toxic stress into something tolerable. These acts of humanity are preventive and lead to healthy resilient children, adults and communities.  

The Spartanburg Academic Movement (SAM) is a non-profit organization working to convene partners, align resources, and advance equity to improve economic mobility anchored in academic achievement. SAM’s work uses the StriveTogether cradle-through-career framework for building success across Spartanburg County.

Resources:

• Spartanburg Academic Movement

• NAMI Spartanburg

• Connect Spartanburg

• Favor Mental Health Services

Dr. Jennifer Parker, Ph.D., LPC

Spartanburg Academic Movement
Director of Child, Youth and Family Services

Dr. Jennifer Parker leads SAM’s emphasis on child and family health and well-being in its systemic approach to increase economic mobility and educational success for Spartanburg County residents.   

Parker served as a psychology professor at USC Upstate and is the Founding Director of the University’s Child Protection Training Center. The Center, created to reduce Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and improve community response to child maltreatment began as one of only four in the nation. Under Parker’s leadership, thousands of professionals serving children and families were trained in multiple strategies to build resilience for those facing the most traumatic life situations.

Parker earned her Ph.D. in Family and Child Development from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and graduated from the Harvard University Management and Leadership in Education program. She is a graduate of the Diversity Leaders Initiative at the Riley Institute, Spartanburg Regional Fellows, and a South Carolina ACE Interface Master Trainer. She completed “Faith and Racial Equity” training and is pursuing a “Systemic Racism in Child Welfare” certificate through the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC).

Workforce Scholarships for the Future

In November, Gov. Henry McMaster announced an innovative pilot program and bold investment in college access and career development. Workforce Scholarships for the Future will cover tuition for certain degrees and industry credentials at the 16 technical colleges in the state. McMaster’s Workforce Scholarships for the Future aim to boost the qualifications of the workforce in high demand fields including manufacturing, health care, science and information technology, construction, and transportation logistics.

McMaster invested $17 million from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) fund to launch the pilot program on January 1. An additional $124 million has been requested from the General Assembly to fund the program for 15,000 recipients through June 2024. To qualify, students must complete the FAFSA, maintain at least a 2.0 GPA, and show proof of employment, complete 100 service hours, or take a financial literacy class.

Spartanburg County is uniquely poised to benefit from Workforce Scholarships with initiatives already underway to address the fact that Spartanburg’s educational attainment lags state and national averages. Spartanburg Academic Movement (SAM) convenes partners, aligns resources, and closely monitors data on high school graduation, college enrollment, persistence, and completion rates. Our numbers for each of these indicators are increasing at rates that exceed state and national averages. As of 2020, 37 percent of Spartanburg residents enrolled in higher education complete an associate’s or bachelor’s degree within six years.

Associate degrees and industry credentials play an important role in the overall education levels of our community and often serve as an access point to future four-year degrees. Responsible for Spartanburg County’s economic development, OneSpartanburg, Inc. knows it is critical to economic prosperity to support pathways to degree completion at both the associate and baccalaureate levels.

Financial barriers are one of the greatest impediments to accessing higher education and developing capacity to meet the ever-growing workforce demands. Spartanburg Community College is at the forefront of tackling this issue to reengage and retain individuals that would have otherwise never been able to access higher education.

In May, SCC worked with Spartanburg Academic Movement, OneSpartanburg, Inc. and other partners to go virtually tuition free for the 2021-2022 academic year. Rebecca Hui Zhang is just one example of the positive impact free tuition can have in our community and the state. A mother of two children, Rebecca lost her job at a travel agency during the pandemic and wanted to return to school to land a more stable career but was hesitant to take on more debt. When she learned of SCC’s free tuition, she jumped at the chance to enroll. Rebecca is now in the Computer Networking and Cyber Security Program and plans to utilize SCC’s tuition free opportunity to find a stable career she is passionate about, that she would not have been able to pursue otherwise.

SCC’s tuition free initiative has been an unprecedented success. Enrollment increased 32 percent compared to Fall 2019, marking the highest total enrollment in the college’s history with 6,097 students enrolled across five campuses. Meanwhile, enrollment for the SC Technical College System decreased 8.3 percent and community colleges nationwide experienced a 17.6 percent decline. Furthermore, SCC saw an unprecedented 66 percent increase in students aged 24 and older as well as significant increases in minority populations. We expect the Governor’s investment in tuition reduction will result in similar successes benefitting historically marginalized populations and adults returning to learning.

SCC will extend its free tuition initiative through the 2022-2023 academic year to continue to help Rebecca and thousands of other students chase and live out their dreams. Allen Smith, OneSpartanburg, Inc. President and CEO says, “Our partnership with SCC has proven that removing real financial barriers leads to a significant spike in enrollment. Our capacity to produce an educated workforce impacts Spartanburg’s ability to attract and retain employers offering high paying knowledge-based jobs. Aligning scholarship opportunities with current and future job trends sets up Spartanburg’s people and businesses for success.”

Gov. McMaster has created a tangible path to higher education for all Spartanburg County residents. Thinking beyond the pilot phase in 2024, Workforce Scholarships can serve as a national model for tuition-free technical colleges to drive an innovative workforce. To create sustainable long-term change in economic development and educational attainment, robust, multi-sector investment in college access is necessary. Workforce Scholarships for the Future are a boost that South Carolina’s students and the economy need to thrive.

Emilee O’Brien, SAM Director of Advocacy
Dr. Michael Mikota, President, SCC
Allen Smith, President/CEO of OneSpartanburg, Inc

Celebrating and Supporting Spartanburg’s Educators

American
Education
Week

Nov 15-19

Op-ed Ed from GoUpstate

American Education Week is observed across the nation the week leading up to Thanksgiving.  November 15-19 presents Spartanburg an opportunity to celebrate and honor the dedicated individuals working on behalf of our children.  I can think of no better time to show our collective appreciation.  SAM joins our community in celebrating our nearly 6,000 educators, school staff, and board trustees.  

This pandemic has disrupted our community unlike any event in recent history.  Newly released achievement results highlight a further widening of gaps for children across learning outcomes.  Data from the fall administration of the Early Development Instrument showed less than half (49%) of this year’s kindergarteners demonstrating readiness for school. Reading scores declined across all grades, with math achievement showing the greatest regressions. Graduation rates held steady at 88%, but the gap between students in poverty and those who are not widened by 14%.  Predictions of a “COVID slide” came to fruition.     

It is clear our community-level support systems were neither strong enough or prepared to meet the challenges of school closures and entry into the world of virtual education. From the scramble to find solutions for areas with limited to no Internet access to support for families struggling to maintain employment and care for children at home – the challenges were immense. However, learning did continue, teachers worked harder than ever, schools pivoted, and classes opened this fall with in-person learning.     

SAM’s vision remains – Economic Mobility, anchored in academic achievement, county-wide, cradle through career, and our work is critical to meeting this vision. Last fall, SAM was one of fourteen organizations nationwide to receive a $5.6 million investment from Blue Meridian Partners. This investment has aided SAM in leading an equitable recovery and scaling our work. 

We have allocated $1.6 million in rapid grants to 33 organizations supporting our youth.  We launched our Center for Resilient Schools and Communities with a focus on addressing the emotional and mental well-being of our children and families.  And, we have doubled-down our efforts towards our community’s 40/30 challenge in an effort to increase the number of certifications, associate degrees, and baccalaureate degrees across the county. Spartanburg Community College’s tuition-free initiative has realized some early wins, and the governor’s recent Workforce Scholarships (free tuition) announcement further affirms the importance of a highly educated citizenry. 

In 2008 this community set a bold vision that Spartanburg would become the best educated county in the state with a national reputation for commitment to educational achievement.  We are on the right track, but work remains.  Aligning the many collaborative impact efforts currently underway is central to closing these gaps. Collectively, we can build a brighter future through further alignment of our time, talent, and resources.

Education philosopher, John Dewey once said,

"What the best and wisest parent wants for his child, that must we want for all the children of the community. Anything less is unlovely, and left unchecked, destroys our democracy.” 

Our teachers embody this sentiment, but they cannot and should not do it alone.  Yes, the pandemic exposed a number of gaps, but it also brought to light the critical role our educators play each day. As we build a community infrastructure in support of our children, let us honor our dedicated teachers by serving as an extension of their daily efforts.  In some way, each of us have witnessed the heart and soul our teachers pour into their students.  Collectively, we can seize every opportunity to thank them by coming aligning our efforts. Thank an educator, and join the movement! 

Russell Booker
Executive Director
Spartanburg Academic Movement