FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Children from birth until the age of 4 and from 6th grade through 12th grade will receive help from a $750,000 Spark grant

Funding will come from a new program called Spark! Igniting Learning, Birth and Beyond.

Congresswoman Carolyn Bourdeaux, of Georgia’s 7th District, presented Forsyth County Schools with a grant for $750,000 on August 16.

Students and families of the 16 schools in Central, North, and East Forsyth face many external challenges: poverty, transportation (no public transportation), language, immigration, transiency and homelessness, access to technology and connectivity, and mental, emotional, and social health. This results in low academic success and limited opportunities.

Building on existing community partnerships, Spark! will provide safe and reliable wrap-around and family services to support the growth and success of all learners to lead a balanced and successful life by offering:

• Shuttle transportation to centrally located ACE
• English language acquisition
• Early learning and development
• Academic support
• Computer skills, connectivity, devices
• Total Wellness Collaborative Services: cultural, emotional (clinical), environmental (addiction/abuse recovery), financial (housing, food, clothing), intellectual, occupational (job skills), physical (healthcare), relational/social (mentoring).

Spark! will be housed at the Academies of Creative Education (ACE), which is home to FCS’ non-traditional academies that support our “bricks and mortar” traditional schools – Gateway (6-12 alternative), Forsyth Virtual (K-12 online), and Forsyth Academy (6-12 hybrid for graduation completion). Forsyth County taxpayers funded the construction of ACE in a 2018 bond referendum. The building also has a gym, media center, and cafeteria.

Spark! removes barriers and provides services for all family members in Forsyth County Schools.