Sparkwheel
Sparkwheel (formerly Communities in Schools) takes community resources and places them inside public schools, making critical resources like food, housing, healthcare and counseling accessible for all students.
![Core-Investment-featured-img7](https://schoolsmartkc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Core-Investment-featured-img7.jpg)
In 2017, SchoolSmartKC and Sparkwheel began their partnership to provide Kansas City schools with vital resources for students. Over the last four years, SchoolSmartKC has awarded Sparkwheel over $1.5 million with another $330,000 pledged through 2023.
In that time, Sparkwheel has started programs in the following KC schools:
- Alta Vista High School
- Benjamin Banneker Elementary
- Central Academy
- Central Middle School
- Crossroads Academy
- Frontier School of Excellence
- George Melcher Elementary School
- Kansas City Neighborhood Academy
- Northeast High School
- Northeast Middle School
Kansas City has many students who are missing necessary resources in their day-to-day lives. Sparkwheel helps meet those needs for students so they can focus on themselves and their schoolwork. Since SSKC partnered with Sparkwheel, schools have seen these impacts:
- Support services impacting 75% of the school populations served by Sparkwheel
- Over 3,000 hours of case management support each school year
- 15,000+ basic needs items provided
- Hundreds of students who were disengaged stayed connected to their schools because Sparkwheel staff ensured they had proper access to technology and internet