July 2020
Special Announcement on behalf of the Learning First Charter Public School
With the launch of its 25th year in Worcester, Seven Hills Charter Public School has officially changed its name to the Learning First Charter Public School. While this decision was not made lightly, it was voted upon unanimously by the school’s Board of Trustees to help ensure the next 25yrs and beyond as an educational institution serving the city’s youth. With a student body of nearly 700 children identifying as predominantly African American (46%) and Hispanic & LatinX (45%), 60% have been designated as economically disadvantaged, nearly 30% as ‘limited English proficiency’ and 14% requiring special education services, Learning First Charter Public School (LFCPS) is working to even the playing field for traditionally underserved demographics.
Due to these changes in our demographics over time, the need for broader philanthropic support from the community has grown tremendously over the 25yrs. While the public school does receive the standard per-pupil federal funding, charters do not receive any support for facilities, an area which Learning First has been working hard to address over the last 2 years. As you may be aware, a plan to officially move locations was put on hold due to funding concerns driven by Covid-19 but even before this, the challenges around fundraising have been ever looming.
Additionally, the Learning First Foundation, Inc (the 501 c3 non-profit arm of the school) is working to expand educational opportunities through scholarship programs. Money raised for scholarships through our Annual Campaign provides assistance to graduating 8th graders attending private schools, alumni going to college, and employees working towards formal education degrees. Additionally, we are always in search of support through in-kind donations in the form of STEAM related items or field trip opportunities for our nearly 700 K-8 students.
So why change the name? Primarily, there has been tremendous confusion when it comes to our school and the much more well-known Seven Hills Foundation. While we have a wonderful relationship with Seven Hills, we are not officially affiliated in any way which has created challenges for both organizations in regards to donations. The foundation began working to grow its community fundraising on behalf of the school a few years ago in hopes of limiting that confusion. While some traction has been made, it has become very clear that a name change was necessary to differentiate ourselves and open additional doors to funding opportunities.
While the name may be different, the heart and soul of our school remains the same. We will continue to go above and beyond for our students and families as we always have. Classrooms will still be assigned two teachers and even as we move to what will likely be a hybrid virtual model, LFCPS is working to provide Chromebooks to every student and internet supports for many of our families who are struggling.
If you would like to learn more, please feel free to contact Leo Flanagan, Superintendent at lflanagan@learningfirstcharter.org.