Since 1983, Seeds of Health has grown from a women, infant and children program and school enrolling 25 students to an organization serving more than 1,300 at-risk youths with five schools in Milwaukee. It has the only K-12 charter school system in the state and operates its schools through partnerships and charter agreements with Milwaukee Public Schools, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the WIC Program through the state Department of Health Services.
With virtual learning as the norm during the COVID-19 pandemic, many students’ academic performances were negatively impacted. Seeds of Health responded with its “Resolution of Gaps and Regressions” program. Led by a new director of curriculum and instruction, the initiative includes an expanded integrated mental health school model and a longer school day and year. Students are offered essential summer school courses such as enriched math and reading, credit recovery and skill-building.
The organization is also preparing to update instruction practices for the 2022-2023 school year, focusing on practices such as strong relationships, learning design and cooperative learning.
“After more than two years marked by COVID-19 disruptions and challenges, Seeds of Health is, as always, proactively re-calibrating and fine-tuning,” said Joshua Jeffers, founder and CEO of J. Jeffers & Co.
“(We have been) able to provide for (children) a wonderful education, K through 12, that has allowed them to graduate and become contributing members of society and be able to escape the life many of them have been reared in.”
– Marcia Spector, Seeds of Health, Inc.
