Woburn Gets $60K Grant For Middle School Program

WOBURN, MA — Efforts to improve social and emotional learning offerings in the Woburn Public Schools recently got a boost thanks to a $60,000 grant, Schools Superintendent Matthew Crowley announced on Thursday.

The three-year grant will specifically go to a new social emotional learning initiative at Woburn’s Joyce and Kennedy middle schools.

The grant comes via the Winning Home Foundation, Inc., which officials said plans to send the money to the Woburn Community Educational Foundation. The foundation will then give funding to the Woburn Schools in $20,000 annual increments.

The Caring School Community initiative, officials said, is a “comprehensive, research-based (social and emotional learning) program that builds assets in young people that lead to stronger relationships and overall achievement in school, family and community life.”

“We have found that it is not rare for students to struggle with anxiety, depression, grief, uncertainty, and loneliness, and these factors can hinder a student’s learning experience,” Crowley said in his announcement this week. “We want our students to know that we are here for them and this grant will give educators in our middle schools additional support to address students’ academic and social-emotional needs.”

The Woburn Community Educational Foundation is a nonprofit that looks to back educational programs and initiatives that it describes as empowering teacher creativity and driving classroom innovation.

The Winning Home Foundation is a charitable trust that has supported numerous charitable causes over several years.

Crowley thanked both organizations for their recent support.

To date, officials said, Winning Home in particular has now given Woburn $120,000 in funding over a seven-year period.

Woburn Community Educational Foundation Executive Director Maureen Willis said this week that new money “will help address the mental health needs of Woburn students at an integral point in their development.”

“By helping our middle schools build Caring School Communities, Winning Home will be supporting the overall health, wellness and success of a generation of Woburn students,” Willis said. “We are grateful to the board of Winning Home for its interest and investment in this important program.”