Charles County expands community schools program; first school‑based health center set to open at Indian Head Elementary this fall

Charles County Public Schools staff reported to the Board of Education on May 13 that the system’s community‑schools program has grown rapidly and now includes expanded wraparound services — from food pantries and resource centers to behavioral supports and a planned school‑based health center at Indian Head Elementary School.

Bethany Goodwin, district community‑school liaison, and Director of Student Services Michael Blanchard presented the update with community school coordinators who described how locally administered concentration‑of‑poverty funds are being used to staff community school resource centers and target services at participating schools.

What the program provides - Staffing: Maryland’s Concentration of Poverty grant requires one full‑time community school coordinator and one full‑time health practitioner or nurse at each funded site. Coordinators run resource centers, connect families to services, convene advisory committees and coordinate partnerships. - Core services: All community schools report weekly or biweekly resource centers providing food, clothing and hygiene supplies; computer access for parents; referrals and self‑referral mechanisms; and extended‑learning opportunities such as after‑school clubs and career programs. - Mental health and behavior: The program funded four behavior‑support specialists deployed at five schools this past year plus contracted counseling at two community schools. Coordinators also organize school‑wide trauma‑informed PD for staff. - New school‑based health center: The district confirmed that the first school‑based health center in Charles County will open at Indian Head Elementary in the fall. The center will offer primary care, preventive services, oral health and mental‑health supports and is aimed at improving access on the western side of the county.

Scale and data James Blakeney and other coordinators said their collective work logged more than 12,700 documented interventions this year across schools — a mix of food supports, attendance meetings, enrollment assistance, event referrals and other wraparound activities. Coordinators said need‑assessments completed in year one drove implementation plans and that MSDE must receive the needs‑assessment reports for each community school.

Expansion and funding The district said four additional schools will become community schools next year — Paul Barnhart Elementary, J.C. Parks Elementary, Mount Hope Nanjimoy Elementary and William B. Wade Elementary — bringing the total to 14. Goodwin said MSDE identifies eligible schools using a three‑year free‑and‑reduced‑meal (FARMS) threshold; community‑school eligibility currently uses a 55% FARMS cutoff and MSDE notifies districts which schools qualify. Additional per‑pupil funds are available in a school’s second year of operation.

Coordinators and community partners Coordinators credited partnerships with Title I staff, nonprofit groups and local volunteers for sustaining food pantries, laundry and other labor‑intensive services. Goodwin described orientation planning that included principal onboarding and budget projections; she said the district has reserved projected set‑up funding for new sites.

Why this matters Speakers told the board that community schools bring services into campuses where families already engage — from washing machines at General Smallwood Middle to community resource days that drew dozens of vendors. Staff said the model aims to reduce barriers to attendance and learning by addressing basic needs and connecting families to long‑term supports.

Ending Goodwin asked board members and the public to attend upcoming steering‑committee and community outreach events and encouraged continued partnership as the program scales.