May 13, 2019
Boys & Girls Clubs of Maury County received the Program Honor Award for the top academic program in the nation at Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Conference on May 3 in Houston, Texas. Boys & Girls Clubs of Maury County received this distinction out of more than 4,300 Clubs across the nation.
The award recognized BGC Maury’s academic case management program for its outstanding outcomes and impact on Maury and Giles County kids. This program combines weekly tutoring by certified teachers with intensive case management that incorporates the school system’s parent portal to ensure that ALL kids stay on track in school and eventually graduate on time. The program specifically helps kids who are making Ds and Fs, displaying truancy and behavior issues, and have other major drop-out risk factors. As a result of the program, 70 percent of program participants improve their GPA each school year, more than 90 percent improve in at least one subject, and 100 percent progress to the next grade level on time.
Last year, 185 kids benefitted from this program at BGCMC.
Chief Academic Officer Kenny Anderson Jr. oversees the Club’s academic programs and tutors. Anderson is a former Maury County Public School teacher with a Master’s in Education.
“Our Club staff and tutors do whatever it takes to ensure the academic success of every child in the program, from daily tutoring, to talking to teachers and parents, to visiting the schools regularly,” Anderson says. “As a result of our intensive academic case management program, 100 percent of Club seniors have graduated on time since the Club was founded in 1999.”
The academic case management program is successful due to the strong partnership between Club staff and the families they serve. Parents of program youth can designate Club staff to attend parent/teacher conferences on their behalf, if they themselves are unable to attend. Club staff also communicate regularly with teachers and counselors to ensure every child has the tools they need to succeed in school.
“We are so honored to be recognized on the national level for this program which was developed locally, right here in Maury County,” said Chief Executive Officer Robyn Peery. “Our front-line staff and tutors at all of our sites work tirelessly to help our kids succeed and ensure great futures are within reach for every kid who walks through our doors. We couldn’t do what we do without their dedication and hard work, and I am so proud of their incredible achievements! We also couldn’t do this program without the strong partnership we have with Maury County Public Schools. We are so grateful for the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with our local school district to help our community’s kids succeed.”
To support the Club’s academic programs or find out how you can get involved, visit www.bgcmaury.com for more information.