Charlene Savidge on Uplifting Communities and Schools to Prepare Learners for the Workforce

Speaker A: Future of Work Florida.

Speaker B: Welcome to the Future of Work Florida Podcast, brought to you by the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Florida Chamber Foundation. This podcast series is dedicated to equipping Florida's business leaders with the knowledge, solutions and resources available to secure Florida's workforce. Talent. Today, our Vice President of Talent Development for the Future of Work, Rachel Ludwig, sits down with Charlene Savage, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at, uh, Children's Home Society. The two discuss the many ways Children's Home Society is uplifting communities and schools to prepare learners for the workforce.

Speaker A: Well, it's so great to have you here today, Charlie. Um, I am so excited. You know, I recently visited a couple of your community partnership schools and just really want to take this time today to really connect the dots and, um, regarding how Children's Home Society is elevating communities, elevating talent development all throughout the state. So, um, I would love to start off by giving you that opportunity to share about the great work at Children's Home Society, um, its background, history, as well as your role with the organization. For the listeners who aren't familiar.

Speaker C: Okay, that sounds great. Um, thank you Rachel, so much for having me and I'm so excited to be a part of the Future of Work. Um, the neatest thing I, um, can say about Children's Home Society before I dive in is the, um, rich history. And it's founded, uh, over this year, 123 years old. We're actually one of the oldest and largest child and family serving organizations in the state. Um, but we actually were founded by the adoption train in Jacksonville. So when children, um, came on the train from New York, um, they would stop at each city and the children would be put up for adoption. And when the train ended in Jacksonville, those children that did not get adopted, um, were actually in our first home. Um, so a lot of people don't know that. And the term put up, uh, for adoption is when they got off of the train onto the platform, they were put up for adoption. So I thought that was the neatest story. Um, but we actually have now, uh, as we'll see as we go through this process today, that we are now more in a, um, proactive, um, model than reactive. Um, we are trying to work ourselves out of the child welfare industry, um, and move into more of a proactive. But in my role, um, my new role actually as Vice President of Corporate Partnerships, um, I lead efforts to build, uh, relationships with corporations across Florida who see the meaningful impact that we're making, um, throughout CHS programs, but mainly, um, in Our Community Partnership schools like you mentioned. So I'm looking for ah, corporations that are mission aligned with ours, um, and they want to invest in the strategic plan to see the proven model of our Community Partnership school.

Speaker A: Absolutely. Yeah. And we'll definitely dive into some of those program areas today in our conversation because as you know we were getting to know each other and you joining our Future of Work initiative. I'm just blown away by all the programming and focus areas. If I kind of get started with the community Partnership school model that I had mentioned earlier, um, I've actually been to two now in this role. Evans High School in Orlando as well as Sable Palm elementary here in Tallahassee. And it's truly amazing, you know, the programs and support you have for students and families to elevate the whole community. And you know, as somebody who spent a number of years teaching in high need schools and challenged communities early in my teaching career, I just thought, you know, what a dream it would be to have um, that wraparound support that you all offer. So I just wonder if you could kind of touch on some of the programs and support that CHS offers, you know, that positively impacts student outcomes and ultimately prepares them for the workforce.

Speaker C: Sure, absolutely. Um, it's really incredible that you've experienced the um, Community Partnership schools and the two that you visited. I haven't. So you could tell me about them. We have 37 across the state, um, and our goal is um, to be as many as possible. Our strategic plan hopefully will go to have us scaling to one, uh, hundred, um, and we do that um, through funding and that's a big part of my job. Uh, but we really take the whole child and the whole family approach by bringing uh, critical resources directly to the school campus. And that includes health and mental services, after school enrichment, mentorship and career readiness programs, all designed to eliminate the barriers that impact student success. Um, we're really trying to expand and another reason for me to be part of uh, the future of work. Um, we're trying to expand our work in the post secondary readiness by introducing career and technical programs within our high schools and also launching STEM focused initiatives in our middle schools to spark interest early. Uh, these programs are more than just academics, as you know, um, they're helping students envision a future where they can um, learn more about equipping what is out there for them in the, in the workforce. Uh, so they learn more about what, what is out there and not just the traditional rules of um, you know, what, what they see, you know, some, a lot of Things they don't see. Uh, like we talked about one of the electric companies as a part of your organization, um, when they find out that they could be an electrician and come out making, you know, 50, $60,000 a year just by taking this school, it's amazing to these kids. Um, so, um, my role is actually actively building those partnerships with the companies that want to invest in the workforce pipeline. So, so I know you guys talk about that a lot, um, and funding these pre apprenticeship opportunities, uh, offering internships and certifications, um, that will support innovative programs that prepare students, um, beyond graduation. So we're not just preparing them for jobs, we're preparing them for sustainable careers and, um, their bright future.

Speaker A: Absolutely. And you know, one of the things I think for our audience to really understand, you know, if you haven't worked, um, you know, in high need schools before, um, I learned that relationships are the most important. And so, you know, for companies that are, you know, actively looking to partner and form those relationships, um, it is extremely impactful when your company or your staff is actively involved and visible. Um, and so I think that those, um, sort of structures that you're putting in place are super, super important and can change you. You could members, you know, coming and sharing, you know, how, you know, name your company has changed, you know, their life and as well as bringing, you know, more, um, employees that are dedicated and loyal because they've had that opportunity and that chance to sort of really change their trajectory. Um, so that is, you know, really awesome. Um, you, you provide that space and you have, you know, the, all the students and the students that really want that opportunity. And I think mentorship and sort of that network access is something that's so important for learners who are in communities that maybe don't have, um, those access points. So thank you so much for that work. Um, I think I love hearing success stories. I could share a few from when I was in the classroom. Um, but I would love for you to share and, you know, for the sake of time, maybe just one example, you know, a success story of a young person whose life trajectory has been positively impacted by your programs.

Speaker C: Yeah, of course. Um, so I now have been with, uh, the company, um, three short years and with the, My teammates, um, around me have been with the company, you know, 10, 12, 20 years. So I'm a newbie. Seems like three years, um, but I've heard so many great stories. Um, but one that stands out to me is, ah, um, a young boy named Jordan, uh, from one of our cps. I Won't mention where, um, but he faced, uh, significant challenges at home. Um, so we really deal with, uh, food insecurity, housing instability. That really puts an emotional stress on a child that they shouldn't have to face, um, because of something that happened, um, either in their family or something that's happening at home. Basically, we try to take those barriers that off the child so they can really learn. Uh, but through the support of the campus and our cps, um, teammates, um, Jordan was able to connect with our mental health counselors, um, and receive that support that he needed and help him navigate those challenges. So that way he had to be able to, uh, take that off his plate, basically, and be able to concentrate on school. Um, so we also were able to help the family with some food, um, challenges they were having at home, um, and get them those essential resources that they needed. And the good thing is that when, um, Jordan received that support and his family, um, he was able to regain his confidence, um, re. Engage in education, um, really re. Engage with his friends as well. In this particular case, I can't go into too many details, but, um, he ultimately did graduate. Um, he left high school, um, and he is now a lawyer, believe it or not. And he is just. It's amazing, amazing stories that you hear from these kids and these CPS directors. And these are their kids. So you're a former educator, you know that maybe not biologically, but these kids are their kids and they see them from start to finish, and it's just really, really great.

Speaker A: Yeah, no, that's a great story. And, you know, I will say for my time in Indianapolis public schools, um, the resiliency that you see of, uh, kids who have faced a lot of challenges, uh, those kind of basic needs are met, like you were mentioning. It is incredible to watch when the goals are set and the supports are there, sort of the resiliency. And, um, ultimately, I'm sure it serves him well and his lawyer role or employment role, whatever they end up choosing. Um, but that's great. I think, um, we touched on it a little earlier about the role of community and employer partnerships in each community that, um, Children's Home Society is currently in. And I realize also, you know, plans to expand the model throughout the state. Um, are there specific industries or employers that you've partnered with that you'd like to sort of shout out as a model to kind of encourage other players to get involved?

Speaker C: Um, well, there are so many. But I will have to be honest, um, because my boss is listening. We, um. This is Actually a new role, believe it or not, um, ah, corporate partnership. So we have several partners. I will mention a couple, um, but I'm actually new in this role where we have um, fundraisers in our team. Um, but we really work with individuals and that type of thing. So it's really new for me to go out and speak with, direct to uh, corporations to get involved with this. But um, I will have to say, um, a great example of a partnership is with Aetna Health, um, that my teammates and at Morton elementary in Tampa, um, they invested in the All Pro dad initiative, um, which has helped strength, uh, family engagement and support, um, student success, that type of partnership. He actually gave um, $10,000 to this program which allowed them to continue this program with dads, which is really a great um, program in that area. Um, but I'll give you an example of healthcare partners, um, just for the CPS model because a lot of people don't know this either. We just have a new board member that's coming on and he actually mentioned this is one of the reasons he said yes, because if a company like uh, I'll just mention, like Aetna Health, um, excuse me, Advent health, Halifax Health, HCA Healthcare, Baptist Health, those organizations have signed a 25 year MOU or memorandum understanding, uh, to be a part of our community partnership schools. Um, that long term commitment really speaks volume because it's not about their services. It's about believing in long term success and the stability of the model which brings um, uh, to children and family across Florida. When this new board member heard that, he's like, well, if these organizations are signing up to do this for 25 years, I'm in. Where do I sign? It really shows that the organizations, when they come together for a shared purpose, we really can transform these communities. My goal is to take stories like that out to organizations. Um, a lot of them are right in the same the Future of Work initiative. I mean just the folks that I'm in with that group, they see it, you know. So my goal is to take that and then just like with any um, job, you know, you go out and you talk to somebody, you hope that that person spreads it, you know, so it just kind of multiplies from there.

Speaker A: Yeah, thank you so much for that. I know that there's several partners and I think the work has just started. So excited to see where it goes and the impact that we can have together. Um, one thing that I know that I was struck by when I visited um, both of the schools recently. Were you Know, some of the challenges that were brought up and then how, you know, the kids, you know, and the communities were facing these challenges, but they were really being addressed. And when I talk about sort of basic needs, they're filling those basic needs that, you know, learners really need to have taken care of before they can even start to focus on school. And so, um, could you share some of the biggest challenges that you've seen children from your schools and their families face as well as how, um, CHS is addressing those challenges?

Speaker C: Um, yes. So you've got it. You hit it, um, nail on the head. Um, it's basic. So many of the children and families that we uh, face, we serve, face generational poverty, um, housing, simple as housing instability, couch surfing or going place to place, um, food insecurity where they have enough just for one meal, um, or lack uh, of access to health care, um, mental health services. Those barriers make it difficult for the students to focus on learning and planning their future. Um, we take it one step further and help the family as well. So when we find out a child has a problem either couch surfing or they're living in the car, or they don't have food for, um, dinner when they go home that night, uh, they trust us. So, you know, they will talk to us. Once they talk to us, then we bring the family in. Um, and then we have our whole team in the CPS school will help them address all those different issues. Um, if it's a healthcare issue, we have, uh, either telehealth or we have campuses. Um, we have clinics. A lot of our schools have clinics on site which you saw. Um, so we can address those challenges right there and then, um, most cases either after school or if it's a, if it's a clinic where it has uh, exterior, um, entrance during school, we can actually see the parents. Um, there's a lot that we can do there. And as for food, uh, we send them home with food with dignity. We don't call their name out. Like I said earlier with the story, we're very private in that issue because it's private to them. But we definitely want to help them and all their different, um, things, uh, that they're facing. Um, but we really try to reduce the, um, address those root causes and we bring stability to the home and providing that wraparound support. That way we ensure that every child has the tools and resources they need to thrive in both school and beyond.

Speaker A: Yeah, and I think that that's a really great point because I know that sort of parent and school Engagement is a really important, um, thing that, that every school really wants to increase is sort of how our parents engaging with the school. And so, you know, that can help build those bridges. And then, you know, as students are sort of facing different needs or challenges, there's that trust there where, you know, the whole community is working together to sort of ultimately help a student succeed. And that sort of helps build those bridges when you have all those, uh, available resources for the families. Uh, so I think that's just again, solving a challenge that sometimes, you know, it can be difficult to reach parents. But, but, um, incentivizing, you know, involvement by saying, like, we, we realize, like, you know, for example, your student can get their dental, um, you know, checkup here, like right at school. And dental is something that, you know, some folks go without. And it can really cause challenges, like with pain and again, difficulty to concentrate. So both schools that I visited had the dental care, which I thought was really fantastic. But those are just examples of really meeting the community where the needs are. And ultimately, you know, building that sort of trust and engagement is huge. So I guess moving on, I think it would be interesting to hear, you know, your sort of call to action for different stakeholder groups such as employers, educators and community leaders to get involved and support this work. I think we all have a role as community members to kind of get involved and do our part. So I would love your. Your call to action for these various groups.

Speaker C: Okay. Um, well, the best first step is simply just to reach out and start the conversation. Uh, so I'm sure that you'll probably put a link in there to contact me on our website, um, chsfl.org and then look for partner with us. And that will go directly to me, or I'm sure you'll put something in how to contact me. Um, but we really customize every partnership based on the company's goals and values and, um, and the needs of the local community. So do an assessment of communities. You know, we have 37. And the famous thing everybody says, um, about our schools, if you've seen one CPS school, you've seen one. Um, that's because every community is different. Um, so we do a needs assessment before we go in the communities to know exactly what they need. Um, and so when I talk with a company, whether it's they want to align on funding a program or providing volunteers or joining one of our, um, cabinets, um, there's lots of ways that they can be involved. Uh, we just really want to find those companies that are mission Lined with us and want to do a long term sustainable impact, which I think most companies do now. Um, it's just finding the organization that aligns with us or, you know, they. A lot of people, um, say what, you know, what chs when I go out with my name tag on. So it's getting. Crossing that barrier first. Children's Home Society. Oh, yeah, okay. Um, you're the adoption company. Well, no, actually this is what we do now. Um, so I have to go through those stages and once we do, we find out about this program with community partnership schools. That's one of the first things I do after my conversation is I take them on a tour, um, because once they see what we can do in all those wraparound services, um, it's immediate surprise, it's immediate. I want to get involved. What do I do next? Um, so it's just having this open conversations, really.

Speaker A: Yeah. Even, you know, one of the things that was very kind of simple, you know, when I was visiting Sable Palm here in Tallahassee, you know, there's a little free library that's right outside. And so thinking through like, oh, like if I'm going to sort of change out books, you know, for, for our son because he's outgrowing some of these, like, that is where I should take these books. Because that, you know, that can be a way to sort of elevate and provide access to some of the books that, you know, he's no longer reading or what have you. But there's just so many ways that people can sort of contribute, um, and I think, you know, at a greater scale, get involved with what you're doing, um, sort of a community or employer leader, I guess. Um, finally to kind of wrap up our conversation today, uh, we talked a little bit about how, um, CHS is on our Future of Work advisory board now. And you have been a part of the Prosperity, um, advisory board for a while. And we're so grateful for that partnership. And it's. There's so many great overlaps, um, with, you know, what Prosperity is doing, but also kind of the workforce component in terms of changing trajectory of families and communities. So, you know, can you share a little bit about why you decided to get involved with the Future of Work initiative as well as, you know, what would you share with other businesses or education partners who are interested as well?

Speaker C: Sure. Um, so first of all, I'm a big networker and I've always been a part of the chambers in my community. So when Andre Sweet, our CEO, offered the chance for Me to be on this. I took it immediately. Um, so I just love going to all of your conferences. Um, I learned so much. Um, you guys do a great job and also just the networking and the powerful people in the room, um, I walk away energized every time. Um, but chs, um, we know that education and career readiness are key drivers of economic mobility, um, and the community well being. So joining the future of work was really a natural fit, um, I would say we're really proud, um, to help bridge the gap, um, with education, employment, uh, by doing this workforce, uh, you know, starting this workforce initiative, um, in our schools, um, and really helping the graduate prepare for this high demand careers. Um, what I would say to other business and education partners is this is your opportunity to directly shape future the Florida's um, future of work. So get involved, lend your expertise, uh, get in, uh, help us create meaningful pathways to success and help really the next generation of leaders. Because if we don't do it, who will?

Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. And I would also put a plug in that. It definitely takes time and energy, but I think it's work worth doing. You know, I always say that it is a lot of work to, to do that engagement as an employer who's balancing priorities of you know, driving revenue and all of those things. But it is work worth doing. And um, so I'm again so grateful for you to, to be a part of the initiative and thank you so much for attending our events and you know, um, shining light on, you know, what you're doing, what we're doing as well together. Um, I guess, you know, that really wraps up our conversation for this podcast episode. I'm really, really excited for the upcoming months and all that we have going on. I really appreciate you taking the time today, sharing your knowledge and all the work that you do to continue advancing the movement and serving on our advisory board. So thank you so much for being here.

Speaker C: Thanks.

Speaker B: Thank you for joining us for today's Future of Work Florida podcast. To find out more about the resources discussed in today's segment, we invite you to visit our website@flchamber.com futureofworkflorida Together we can champion the future of work and create America's best workforce right here in Florida. Be sure to subscribe for future content.