The Foundation for Edmonds School District has received a $25,000 Superintendent Discretionary award from the Verdant Health Commission to launch the Whole Families, Whole Community (WFWC) program at Alderwood Middle School through December 2025.
This new initiative delivers coordinated mental health resources, tutoring and family services that foster stability and long-term wellbeing, the foundation said in a news release.
“Middle school is a pivotal window for early intervention,” said Edmonds School District Assistant Superintendent Greg Schwab. “By surrounding students and caregivers with supports such as counseling, academic enrichment and community connections, this program helps our young people thrive socially, emotionally and academically.”
Using the foundation’s partnerships, WFWC will create an alliance of community providers that will provide:
– Mental health counseling and referrals for students and families.
– Tutoring, mentoring and after-school enrichment opportunities, including safe transportation.
– Culturally responsive programming that reflects the district’s diverse student body.
Provider partners include Latino Education Training Institute, House of Wisdom, Make it Worthy, The ACCESS Project, Alderwood Boys & Girls Club, Well Being Center, and Community Health Center of Snohomish County.
During the pilot program, the collaborative expects to serve 25-30 students weekly and scale to 40-50 students during the fall. The program’s vision is to expand across all the district’s middle schools, reaching 300–400 students weekly and transforming support systems over the next three years.
“We are thrilled to launch this program and we are deeply grateful to Verdant Health Commission for believing in the power of wraparound support,” said Foundation for Edmonds School District Executive Director Deborah Brandi. “The Whole Families, Whole Community pilot is rooted in the idea that students do best when their families are thriving. Together, we’re building stronger connections between school, home, and community so every child feels supported and every family feels seen,”
“Programs like Whole Families, Whole Community align closely with Verdant’s mission to support child, adolescent and young adult mental health,” said Verdant Board of Commissioners President Karianna Wilson. “We’re proud to support a collaborative effort that meets students and families where they are, and strengthens the fabric of our communities.”
[Alderwood Middle School photo courtesy Edmonds School District]
