Vibrant / Delta Dental Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy Report
The Academy of World Languages is organized as a community learning center—a hub in the neighborhood—with wrap-around services designed to meet the needs of the community. Though the Schiff Wellness Center is connected to the school on one side, a separate main entrance for the public makes it look like a standalone building, and everyone is welcome. Adults without connections to the school are invited. Students from nearby schools are bused in…
While the wellness center serves the entire community, its first responsibility is to the Academy of World Languages, where the population is approximately half immigrants or refugees. About 30 languages are spoken among the students and staff. Teachers embrace the wellness center, because having health services within easy reach means students spend more time learning. Before the clinics opened, parents often would take their entire family out of school for just one child’s appointment so the siblings could serve as interpreters. Now students can visit the dentist or doctor and then go right back to class.