‘Save the Children’ helping White County

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Summer can be an exciting time for children, filled with warmer weather, vacations, and family fun – but for millions of children across America, it’s a time when learning stalls, enriching experiences are limited, and nourishing foods are hard to come by. However, this summer, thanks to the work of Save the Children, White County students have access to more learning resources, more activities, and more meals than ever before.

“At Save the Children our mission is that we do ‘whatever it takes for children.’ I have lived and breathed this mission for the last 11 years, and I am grateful that I now have the opportunity to give back to my community and connect with such wonderful partners that believe in this mission as well,” Chapple Osborne-Arnold, who is the Tennessee State Director for Save the Children as well as a White County resident, said. “We believe that it is the responsibility of every community to ensure children have a healthy, strong foundation to thrive as learners and in life.  I am thrilled we were able to bring resources and funds to the children in White County.”

According to Save the Children, summer learning can impact a child’s success in higher grades, including whether he or she graduates from high school and moves on to college or a career. The organization also states that children from low-income homes are most impacted by the “summer slide,” falling 2 ½ to 3 years behind their higher-income peers by the fifth grade. And in recent years, given the effects of the pandemic on student learning and achievement, summer learning is more critical than ever.

“Our youngest learners, children ages 3-5 years old, must overcome many barriers and challenges to start school ready to learn. Children from low-income families often start school already behind their peers from more affluent families, making summer an integral time for providing additional support to children and families focused on building school readiness skills, and supporting a smooth transition into school,” Osborne said. “Save the Children aims to ensure that all children in rural America have a healthy, strong foundation to thrive in learning and life – and summer is a critical time to provide quality programming, access to enriching experiences, and ensure children have nourishing food they need to thrive.”

“Through a comprehensive approach to summer, we aim to mitigate summer learning loss for our elementary-age children, provide quality resources and supports to caregivers and families, and support continued school readiness for our youngest learners,” she added, sharing that Save the Children partnered with the White County Library, Bushido Karate Center, and Sparta-White County YMCA in an effort to reach as many school age children as possible during the summer months.

White County Public Library received funds that were used to add more fun to their Summer Reading Program, adding more prizes and giveaways to their weekly program that sees over 100 children reading each week.

Bushido Karate Center was given $6,000 that was put toward buying each child in their summer program a pack of Scholastic Books to take home. Additionally, the camp used funds to purchase each child a book about the local K9 Kilo after members of the White County K9 units visited the camp, along with author Sanda Ayers.

“Children in rural areas often live in isolated locations where safe access to meals provided by other programs is limited. Bringing meals to children through mobile meal delivery is a solution to this barrier,” Osborne said as she explained the use of the funds provided to the YMCA. “The potential impact of the White Co/Sparta YMCA Mobile Feeding project is to procure a bus to be able to reach communities and families who are not served through existing summer feeding programs. While a few of the area schools do offer a summer feeding program, there are many students who are unable to take advantage of said programs for lack of transportation.”

“Expanding our program beyond a set location will distinguish us in the community as the only mobile option for free food, to those in need,” a YMCA representative said in a statement provided. “In addition to food, we would also utilize our mobile unit for distribution of educational materials that would supplement/enhance the materials students are exposed to through their public education. With procurement of funding, we estimate to serve a minimum of 500-700 students in our local school district and beyond.”

Through the efforts of Save the Children and White County organizations that spend their summers with the children of the community, White County students will have access to food, fun, and learning experiences all summer long.