St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands – St. Croix Foundation for Community Development (SCF) is pleased to announce the formal launch of the Healing Humanities Cultural Place-Keeping Grant, made possible through a transformative investment from the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place program. This grant program, totaling $534,000, will fund St. Croix-based nonprofit organizations dedicated to preserving arts, culture, heritage, and the natural environment.

Beginning March 21, 2025, eligible nonprofits are invited to apply for grants ranging from $10,000 to $75,000, with an average award of $40,000. Funding will support projects that strengthen St. Croix’s cultural landscape, ensuring that local traditions, spaces, and histories remain accessible and relevant across generations.

Grant Program Objectives

The Healing Humanities Cultural Place-Keeping Grant is designed to:

• Support multi-generational projects that promote and preserve arts, culture, heritage, and the natural environment—rooted in St. Croix’s rich history.
• Nourish and embolden St. Croix’s cultural institutions by providing operational support and project-based funding.
• Foster diverse initiatives that elevate community narratives, artistic expression, and cultural sustainability.

Eligibility & Application Process

Nonprofit organizations based on St. Croix or territory-wide organizations providing services on St. Croix are eligible to apply. Applications open March 21, 2025, and must be submitted by April 25, 2025, at 11:59 PM AST.

Key Dates:

• March 25, 2025, 10:00 AM AST – Virtual Information Session #1 (Register Here)
• April 10, 2025, 9:00 AM AST – Virtual Information Session #2 (Register Here)
• April 25, 2025, 11:59 PM AST – Application Deadline
• May 23, 2025 – Award Announcements
• June 1, 2025 – Grant Performance Period Begins

Interested applicants should visit SCF’s Grant Portal to read the full Request for Proposals for all eligibility details and submission guidelines. Questions may be directed to Paloma McGregor, SCF Program Officer [Grantmaking] Humanities & Culture, at grants@stxfoundation.org.

A Commitment to Cultural Place-Keeping

As we launch this grant cycle, we reaffirm our commitment to place-keeping—preserving and celebrating the cultural and historical identity of St. Croix,” said Deanna James, President & CEO of St. Croix Foundation. “With the Mellon Foundation’s support, we are empowering local nonprofits to amplify cultural narratives and mobilize the humanities as a force for healing and transformation in our community.”

SCF invites all eligible nonprofits to apply and encourages community members to spread the word. Together, we will nurture St. Croix’s vibrant cultural legacy and foster lasting impact through the arts.

Apply now! Visit SCF’s website for more details.

About St. Croix Foundation for Community Development

Founded in 1990, St. Croix Foundation is a place-based philanthropic organization committed to holistic community development. As a trusted fiscal sponsor, grantmaker, and community convener, SCF has directed over $50 million in investments into the U.S. Virgin Islands, focusing on community revitalization, nonprofit capacity building, education, economic development, and cultural preservation.

About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org

St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands – St. Croix Foundation for Community Development (SCF) released the territory’s 2024 KIDS COUNT USVI Data Spotlight, entitled “Answering the Call: We are the System and the Solution,” on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, at 10:00 AM AST during a Virtual Community Stakeholder Presentation open to the public. The Data Spotlight was presented to a broad range of community stakeholders along with the territory’s first online KIDS COUNT USVI Data Dashboard.

2024 KIDS COUNT USVI DATA SPOTLIGHT

During the virtual Community Presentation, SCF’s KIDS COUNT Team provided an overview of the 2024 USVI Data Spotlight to Community Stakeholders. This year’s Data Spotlight is a special report on “Opportunity Youth” (youth ages 16-24 who are not in school and/or not employed/training).

The 2024 Spotlight reported several data Hot Spots surrounding local Opportunity Youth.   For example, in 2023 there was a slight increase in the number of violent crime arrests of young people in this age group. There were 258 incidents involving youth ages 18-24, up from 250 in 2022 and 208 in 2021.

In the domain of Education, dropout rates among students in grades 7 through 12 saw a concerning rise, with 140 students dropping out during the 2023-24 school year compared to 107 the previous school year. Ninth-grade retention rates showed improvement, with 146 students retained in 2023-24 versus the 168 9th-graders who were retained in the 2022-23 school year; however, this remains the highest rate among all grades, underscoring the need for targeted interventions to support students at this critical juncture.

A significant Bright Spot continues to be the Virgin Islands’ nonprofit civic sector. For example, the Women’s Coalition of St. Croix provided services to 71 minors in 2023, compared to 65 in 2022, demonstrating their success in scaling programs to serve youth more effectively.

Chermaine Hobson, the KIDS COUNT Team’s Sector Liaison,  eloquently emphasized the critical challenges and opportunities within this age group: “What we realize is that our at-risk population eventually becomes disconnected Opportunity Youth if we don’t provide the effective programs necessary to channel them in the right direction.” “We see what’s happening in our community with crime, violence, and the loss of young lives, and we know we must act,” Hobson noted, also reporting that the average age of incarceration in our community is 23 years old, highlighting the urgent need for early intervention and support for our youth. This underscores the urgent importance of addressing youth challenges early to prevent future incarceration.

The 2024 Data Spotlight (which is structured as an abridged data book) also provides selected data snapshots “At-A-Glance” on the status of U.S. Virgin Islands youth across all ages in the four primary KIDS COUNT® domains: Family and Community, Education, Health, and Economic Well-being. This data can be used to understand where our children are and how they are faring. For example, in the case of children in public housing, 3,166 children were living in public housing in 2023, a slight decline from 3,368 in 2022​. And, interesting upticks, such as those found in Student Enrollment trends, are compelling for both programming and policy considerations: Public school enrollment increased slightly to 10,312 students during the 2023-24 school year, marking the first increase since the 2020-21​ school year.

An electronic copy of the 2024 KIDS COUNT USVI Data Spotlight is available at https://stxfoundation.info/2024KidsCountUSVI. Interested parties may also watch a recording of the Community Presentation at https://stxfoundation.info/2024KidsCountRelease. Additionally, physical copies of the 2024 Data Spotlight may be requested by emailing the Foundation at kidscountusvi@stxfoundation.org or calling 340.773.9898.

KIDS COUNT USVI DATA DASHBOARD

The 2024 KIDS COUNT USVI Team also unveiled the territory’s first online KIDS COUNT USVI Data Dashboard. The  Data Dashboard includes selected data collected from the most current available data sources in the public and civic (nonprofit) sectors throughout the territory.

Reporting on conditions across all ages of childhood, this year’s KIDS COUNT USVI Data Package highlights urgent and consequential issues impacting the well-being of children in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Data Dashboard contains Hot Spots including lower assessment scores for students territory-wide in 8th-grade math. The percentage of 8th grade public school students who were proficient in math for the 2022-2023 school year was just 2.4%, down from an already low 6.1% proficiency the prior year.  Another key Hot Spot was the reported income for children with families in housing communities on St. Croix. For St. Croix households with children living in housing communities, the average income was just $13, 141. This was lower than the $15, 303 reported in 2022 and less than half of the $26,335 reported average income for housing community households with children in the St. Thomas/St. John District.

Amid these challenges, the KIDS COUNT USVI Data Dashboard also highlights encouraging Bright Spots as civic organizations such as My Brother’s Workshop and the Women’s Coalition of St. Croix, along with government agencies like the VI Department of Labor and the Department of Sports, Parks, and Recreation, continue to expand services and capacity to transform the lives of youth in the Virgin Islands. Many of these organizations are experiencing higher demand for their services. Yet another Bright Spot was reported by the VI Department of Health, which secured funding for the Virgin Islands to conduct the Youth Risk Behavior Survey for the first time since 2018. As the territory’s only comprehensive survey on our children’s mental health, new YRBS data (expected in 2025) will provide an up-to-date accounting of the overall mental health impacts of environmental and health factors including hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic.

St. Croix Foundation’s KIDS COUNT Data Researcher and designer of the Data Dashboard,  Laurie Blake, was thrilled to share that “The KIDS COUNT team and I worked very hard to bring you a tool that makes accessing and understanding the KIDS COUNT data easier and more actionable than ever. This dashboard consolidates all the relevant data into one user-friendly platform—no more flipping through books or pulling data from multiple sources.”

St. Croix Foundation’s KIDS COUNT USVI Data Dashboard can be accessed by visiting the Foundation’s website at: https://www.stxfoundation.org/kids-count-dashboard/. Questions about the Data Dashboard can be emailed to kidscountusvi@stxfoundation.org.

During the presentation, St. Croix Foundation President and CEO Deanna James underscored the interconnected nature of the Foundation’s work, stating: “Everything is connected to everything. All the work St. Croix Foundation is leading is interconnected; our KIDS COUNT work is connected to our nonprofit capacity-building, which is connected to our downtown revitalization, and to our expanding national network of partners. Prioritizing our children through data, policy, and community action is at the heart of everything we do.” James also highlighted that SCF’s holistic approach aims to create a lasting impact across multiple sectors of the community, ensuring that efforts to uplift children and families are sustainable and far-reaching.

The 2024 KIDS COUNT USVI Community Presentation also highlighted critical “Data Gaps” — data sets that would be invaluable to understanding the challenges facing Virgin Islands youth, yet remain elusive and thus absent from KIDS COUNT USVI publications. The lack of data on Opportunity Youth (ages 16-24) includes: the number of youth committing crimes, experiencing housing insecurity, and participating in the workforce.

A national initiative of the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), KIDS COUNT® has evolved into one of the largest, long-standing data repositories in the United States focused on the status of children and families. A national network of nonprofits, foundations, and consortia from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, KIDS COUNT is seen as a vital means of providing critical data about child well-being for many federal, state, and local government agencies.

St. Croix Foundation extends its deepest appreciation to the Annie E. Casey Foundation and to its many local and national partners who support this work including the Office of the Governor, the HIVE Fund, Seven Seas Water Group, and GAM Software. Special acknowledgment also goes to the Foundation’s public and civic sector Data Partners for their collaboration and commitment to children and families in the Virgin Islands.  Questions about the KIDS COUNT USVI Initiative should be directed to President Deanna James of St. Croix Foundation at 340.773.9898 or DJames@stxfoundation.org.

 

St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands – St. Croix Foundation for Community Development (SCF) is pleased to announce the release of the territory’s annual publication, the 2024 KIDS COUNT® USVI Data Spotlight, “Answering the Call: We are the System and the Solution,” on Wednesday, December 18th, 2024, at 10:00 AM AST. During the Virtual Community Stakeholder Presentation (via Zoom), the Foundation will also unveil the U.S. Virgin Islands’ first online KIDS COUNT USVI Data Dashboard.

A national initiative of the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), KIDS COUNT® has evolved into one of the largest, long-standing data repositories in the United States focused on the status of children and families. Comprising nonprofits, foundations, and consortia from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, KIDS COUNT is considered vital to providing critical data about child well-being for many federal, state, and local government agencies.

Expanding the scope of its KIDS COUNT USVI Initiative this year, St. Croix Foundation’s KIDS COUNT Team is excited to release a data package that includes: (1) an abridged data book honing in on a targeted youth population, and (2) an online Data Dashboard, which will provide community stakeholders with real-time access to an interactive data tool comprising selected current KIDS COUNT data.

During the virtual presentation on Wednesday, December 18th, 2024, SCF’s KIDS COUNT USVI Team will provide an overview of the two data products to Government Partners, Nonprofit Civic Organizations, Policymakers, and Community Stakeholders. The first data product, an abridged 2024 USVI Data Spotlight entitled “Answering the Call: We are the System and the Solution,” centers on an older youth population termed “Opportunity Youth” who are between the ages of 16 to 24 years old. Shining a spotlight on this vulnerable yet vital population, the 2024 KIDS COUNT USVI Data Spotlight is a special report on the conditions of our local opportunity youth that contains data from the most current available sources (including government agencies and nonprofit organizations) throughout the territory. It also highlights critical gaps in local data that present persistent challenges for building a clarified profile of our most at-risk youth populations.

SCF encourages all community members to attend the virtual release including parents, educators, nonprofit organizations, policymakers, and public administrators – all of whom are likely to find the information in this year’s Data Spotlight particularly useful to identify and understand the challenges facing the VI’s opportunity youth population. Through the release of this year’s data package, SCF also seeks to spark ideation around creative and collaborative solutions.

St. Croix Foundation’s KIDS COUNT Team is also excited to unveil a brand new KIDS COUNT USVI Data Product, in the form of an online Data Dashboard. Complementing and building upon the Foundation’s annual data publications, the KIDS COUNT USVI Data Dashboard will provide local stakeholders with interactive ways of working with data that will enable end-users to access and view data on child welfare and development. Utilizing a simple, user-friendly graphic interface, the Data Dashboard will display key data points and metrics in standard KIDS COUNT domains (Family & Community, Economic Well-being, Education, and Health) as well as an additional section on “Community Bright Spots.” Laurie Blake, SCF’s KIDS COUNT USVI Data Researcher and Designer, also offered that, “The data dashboard is an online repository – an all-in-one package consolidating selected public data the KIDS COUNT USVI team has received to date. While this dashboard is focused specifically on data points relevant to the KIDS COUNT USVI Initiative, it is an opportunity for other agencies to not only use the data across diverse sectors but also to use it as a model for their own data sharing.”

According to President and CEO of St. Croix Foundation, Deanna James, “With the release of this year’s KIDS COUNT USVI data products, the Foundation continues to demonstrate our commitment to moving the needle on child well-being in the USVI. Our KIDS COUNT USVI Team is also committed to challenging ourselves to expand and evolve our approach to data collection, data presentation, and advocacy. We urge all community stakeholders- parents, educators, and civic partners to take time out of their busy schedules to attend this important convening.”

Since St. Croix Foundation’s stewardship of KIDS COUNT® began in 2020, the Organization has remained steadfast in its position that while the Territory’s children are facing seemingly intractable challenges, our Community has an inalienable obligation to protect them and to provide every opportunity for them to thrive. According to Foundation President James, “There’s too much at stake, and our territory is simply too small to not get this right.”

REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Interested parties should register for the Virtual Presentation at: https://stxfoundation.info/2024KCRegistration. There is no cost to attend.

An electronic copy of the 2024 Data Spotlight will be distributed to all registered participants during the virtual release presentation, and physical copies will be available to interested parties post-release. Access links will also be provided to the new KIDS COUNT USVI Data Dashboard. For additional information or questions about the 2024 KIDS COUNT USVI release, please contact jlawrence@stxfoundation.org.

St. Croix Foundation extends its deepest appreciation to the Annie E. Casey Foundation and to its many local and national partners who support this work including the Office of the Governor, the HIVE Fund, Seven Seas Water Group, and GAM Software. Special acknowledgment also goes to the Foundation’s public and civic sector Data Partners for their collaboration and commitment to children and families in the Virgin Islands. Questions about the KIDS COUNT USVI Initiative should be directed to President Deanna James of St. Croix Foundation at 340.773.9898 or DJames@stxfoundation.org.

ST. CROIX, U.S.V.I., November 1, 2024 – St. Croix Foundation for Community Development (SCF), in partnership with Crucian Heritage and Nature Tourism (CHANT), the Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition (VIGFC), Crucian Educators, and Culture Bearers, is pleased to invite the St. Croix Community to join them for an unforgettable afternoon of learning and exploring our Virgin Islands history through “Our Living History: An Afternoon with Mario Moorhead,” to be hosted on Sunday, November 17, 2024, at the Old Bethlehem Sugar Factor from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

A Community Classroom of Reflection and Learning, this event is open to the public in celebration of Elder Mario Moorhead’s scholarly work. The event will foster an intergenerational learning exchange where Young and Old Virgin Islanders along with educators and community members will create a space for Elder Moorhead to share his extensive knowledge of Virgin Islands History.

The convening will open with the ceremonial blowing of the Conch Shell and will feature live drumming by Walla and Feather, leading into Elder Moorhead’s presentation, which will be moderated by Zuma Nisbett, Richard Muhammed, and Akeem McIntosh, followed by a moderated question-and-answer session designed for respectful engagement and learning.

“Our Living History: An Afternoon with Mario Moorhead” was conceptualized by a small community working group in recognition of the critical role that elders serve in ensuring that vital knowledge around VI History and humanities is shared and transferred. Mario Moorhead’s contributions to our understanding of Virgin Islands History are woven deeply into the cultural fabric of our community. This event reflects the Sankofa spirit of learning from our past to better understand our present and shape our future.

The event is also intentionally timed to coincide with Elder Moorhead’s 85^th birthday and honors him as a native Crucian Son, Scholar, and Culture Bearer. The event will be recorded and produced as a learning resource for academic and cultural purposes. 

Event Registration and Seating

This event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Registration is required in advance via https://stxfoundation.info/OralHistoryMarioMoorhead or by calling St. Croix Foundation at 340-773-9898. To ensure comfort, early registrants and invitees will be provided seats, and others are welcome to bring their own seating or stand if needed. All attendees must register in advance of the day, Friday, November 15, 2024, as space is limited.

We strongly encourage parents and guardians of teens and young adults to bring their youth to participate in this unique opportunity to engage directly with Virgin Islands history and heritage. This event promises to foster meaningful intergenerational learning and reflection, offering young people a chance to connect deeply with their cultural roots.

St. Croix Foundation wishes to extend its sincerest appreciation to Mario Moorhead and Mary Moorhead, event discussants Akeem McIntosh, Zuma Nisbett, and Richard Muhammed, as well as the Community Working Group, which includes Ariela Hayes, Chalana Brown, Dr. Chenzira Davis Kahina, Chermaine Hobson, Frandelle Gerard, Sayeeda Carter, Sommer Sibily-Brown and SCF AmeriCorps VISTA Members Kevin Moolenaar and Chevon Miles.

For more information about how to support these special funds, please visit the Foundation online at www.stxfoundation.org or call 340-773-9898.

St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands – In celebration of 34 years of leadership, service, and impact in the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Croix Foundation for Community Development is excited to announce that tickets go on sale on October 1, 2024, for the return of the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience’s Wine in the Warehouse – SCF’s annual benefit, and a spectacular night of “Food, Fun, and Philanthropy” held at Bohlke International Aviation on Friday, December 6, 2024, from 6:00-9:00 PM.

34 Years of Philanthropy Rooted in Place
As the Foundation commemorates 34 years of leadership and service, its mission remains steadfast: to revitalize St. Croix through strategic community development initiatives. Building on decades of transformative community work, from the ongoing restoration of Sunday Market Square to their advocacy and data work with KIDS COUNT USVI, the Foundation’s holistic approach continues to drive social and economic advancement across the Territory.

This year’s Wine in the Warehouse, now in its 17th year, will once again highlight St. Croix’s vibrant culinary culture while serving as the Foundation’s signature fundraising event. The 2024 theme, “Philanthropy Rooted in Place,” embodies the Foundation’s deep commitment to empowering the community through collective action and investment.

An Evening of Impact
More than an event, Wine in the Warehouse is part of a first-rate series (the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience) which has brought together community, corporate partners, and philanthropic supporters to build a brighter future for St. Croix for the past 20 years. With Bohlke International Aviation serving as host for the evening, guests will experience a stunning evening of local flavors, fine wines from around the world from CC1, and live entertainment, all set against the sleek backdrop of a private jet fleet.

St. Croix Foundation President, Deanna James, reflected on the Foundation’s 34-year journey, saying: “As we celebrate our 34th year of service, the Foundation is immensely grateful for the unwavering support we’ve received from our partners and donors over the past 20 years of the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience for this historically sold out event. Their commitment has allowed us to confront some of the most entrenched systemic challenges and create lasting change in the Virgin Islands. Wine in the Warehouse is not just about food and wine; it’s about mobilizing resources to further our mission of philanthropy and holistic community development. As we spearhead some of the most comprehensive initiatives in our history, including  the revitalization of Sunday Market Square, our Kids Count Initiative, and our Nonprofit Consortium, this event enables St. Croix Foundation to raise the funds necessary to focus on the  work ahead.”

Tickets and Sponsorship Opportunities
Tickets for Wine in the Warehouse will be available for purchase on Tuesday, October 1st, 2024, at www.stxfoodandwine.com. Guests are encouraged to secure their spot quickly as this event typically sells out. Tickets may also be purchased by phoning St. Croix Foundation at 340-773-9898.

The Foundation extends its heartfelt thanks to early sponsors Bohlke International Aviation, CC1, and Crucian Point, and invites additional sponsors to join us as event partners. In-kind sponsorships, particularly for the event’s silent auction, are also welcome.

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact 340-773-9898 or email jlawrence@stxfoundation.org.

Celebrating 34 Years of Service
Reflecting on 34 years of community impact, the Foundation highlights key accomplishments that showcase the importance of public-private partnerships in building a resilient St. Croix. Notable initiatives include the revitalization of Christiansted’s Sunday Market Square, the KIDS COUNT USVI data and advocacy initiative, and our role as fiscal sponsor for over 250 local nonprofits. These achievements are only the beginning, and with continued support, we are committed to shaping an even more prosperous and thriving community for years to come.

For ticket, event details, and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.stxfoodandwine.com or call the St. Croix Foundation’s office at 340-773-9898.

ST. CROIX, U.S.V.I., August 2024 – St. Croix Foundation for Community Development is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024 Lang-Wise STEM Scholarship. A total of $10,000 has been awarded to five exceptionally talented rising first-year university students, all of whom are pursuing degrees in various STEM fields.

The following 2024 Lang-Wise STEM Scholarship recipients received awards ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 each:

• Sydney Philbert, Purdue University, Plant Genetics
• Ryan Ferdinand, Jr., Villanova University, Biomedical Engineering
• Jahnaiy Rodriguez, Florida A & M University, Physical Therapy
• Amonik Thomas, Howard University, Biology
• Keanna Alphonse, Texas A & M University Commerce, Forensic Accounting

The Lang-Wise STEM Scholarship Fund was established in 2022 by native Virgin Islanders Raydiance Wise and Alice Wise and is dedicated to supporting the educational endeavors of young scholars from St. Croix who have demonstrated a strong commitment to STEM disciplines. Each recipient was selected based on academic merit, a clear vision for their future, and a demonstrated passion for making a positive impact in their respective fields and ultimately, giving back to the Virgin Islands and global community.

Virtual Awards Ceremony Highlights

In their own words, the scholarship recipients expressed deep gratitude and a shared commitment to giving back to their community:

• Sydney Philbert: “I really appreciate being awarded this scholarship. It’s very hard to pay for college. It inspires me to keep looking for scholarships to bring down the cost of tuition. Thank you so much.”
• Jahnaiy Rodriguez: “I’m grateful to earn this scholarship. College is expensive and worrisome, but having a helpful hand like what you are doing for us really helps us on our paths of earning our degrees.”
• Ryan Ferdinand, Jr.: “On St. Croix, there is a dire need for advanced medical equipment, where we have to fly off island to receive the care we need. In athletics, there are injuries that ruin careers, and I want to make a positive impact on our community. I think it is admirable that the scholarship committee invests so much time in the youth, and I am thankful that you acknowledge our potential, our future, and invest so much into us.”
• Keanna Alphonse: “Going to high school and really getting to experience the distractions, unclean air, lack of maintenance, and always hearing we have money but never seeing how the money is being used—I decided that when I become a forensic accountant, I need to figure out where this money is going because I want future generations to have better than I have. Also, I want to thank you for being consistent with communications. A lot of scholarship committees don’t really communicate with you well, and it stresses you out. I hope that one day I can be like you, giving back to the youth, because it’s not just about saying what someone can do but empowering them to do it.”

St. Croix Foundation’s Scholarships Review Committee was astounded at the quality of 2024 applicants and was eager to find a way to support each young scholar. As such, SCF awarded a special scholarship through the Ludington Fund to Ms. Leyonna Maria Ravariere, who will be studying Biology at the University of the Virgin Islands this fall.

St. Croix Foundation also wishes to acknowledge the inspiring words of Raydiance Wise, a proud St. Joseph alumni,  engineer and Lang-Wise STEM Scholarship Fund Donor, who shared a powerful message with this year’s recipients: “To whom much is given, much is expected—sometimes we don’t realize how much we are given. We are born in the US, USVI, or grow up in the USVI, and we are given so much unearned privilege, and when I say that, I mean just the fact of where you are, where you grow up. You have the opportunity and access to so much, and there are people who do not. So keep this in mind, keep a certain civic mindfulness, and think of how you can have an impact on our community because, really, this should be a world that works for everybody. We have the opportunity to give a hand up where possible, so keep this in mind.”

St. Croix Foundation extends its deepest appreciation to the Lang-Wise family for their deep engagement, unwavering support and commitment to nurturing the next generation of STEM professionals. Their generosity ensures that a growing number of young scholars have the financial support they need to pursue their dreams and contribute to the global community. SCF urges community members to donate to The Lang-Wise Fund so that together, we can amplify our impact, empowering even more young leaders to achieve their full potential and drive positive change in the world.

For more information about the Lang-Wise STEM Scholarship Fund or to learn how to support similar initiatives, please visit the Foundation online at www.stxfoundation.org or call 340-773-9898.

ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) – According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which released its national 2024 KIDS COUNT© Data Book on June 10th. The failure of the U.S. to prepare our kids to learn could cost our children hundreds of billions of dollars in future earnings and the U.S. economy trillions in lost activity. The 2024 KIDS COUNT Data Book is a 50-state report of recent household data developed by Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how children and families are faring post-pandemic. (Note that the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) is not part of the rankings in the KIDS COUNT Data Book as it draws data from the American Community Survey, which is not conducted in the territory. The U.S. Virgin Islands is included in the KIDS COUNT © Data Center (https://datacenter.aecf.org/), which houses key data points on child well-being across the nation.) The annual report also sheds light on other challenges, including those surrounding education, health, and the economy that are affecting American children. Each year, the Data Book presents national and state data from 16 indicators in four domains — economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors — and ranks the states according to how children are faring overall.

To supplement available national data, each year St. Croix Foundation’s KIDS COUNT USVI team publishes a Data Book (or product) focused specifically on the USVI that reports available data aligned with the four domains of the national Data Book.

In the U.S. Virgin Islands, as published in the 2023 KIDS COUNT Data Book in 2022, 42% of students enrolled at the University of the Virgin Islands were first-generation college students as compared to the national rate of 24%. While the data is specific to students at the University of the Virgin Islands, it represents a bright spot in the Virgin Islands, indicating the removal of barriers to opportunity and that our youth see higher education as a means to breaking racial inequities and cycles of poverty. According to the Education Trust, the stakes are particularly high for young Black male students: “Among those who don’t complete high school, 68 percent will be imprisoned by age 34. With a high school diploma, falls to 21 percent; with a college degree to 6 percent.”

Of course, there is still much work to be done. As reported in the national KIDS COUNT Data Book, chronic absenteeism is soaring post-pandemic with 30% of school children in the U.S. missing 10% or more days of school in 2021/2022. By comparison, in the USVI, the rate of chronic absenteeism was 31% across the territory in 2022 (36% in the St. Croix District and 26% in the St. John/St. Thomas District) according to data from the US Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE).

Nationally, in 2019, 33% of U.S. students met or exceeded standards in math; in 2022, only 26% of eighth graders were at or above proficient in math according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress or NAEP. Trends in reading are also on the decline. Nationally less than a third of fourth graders (32%) were at or above proficient in reading in 2022, two percentage points lower than right before the pandemic (34% in 2019).

Now in its 35th year of publication, the national KIDS COUNT® Data Book focuses on students’ lack of basic reading and math skills, a problem decades in the making but brought to light by the focus on learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unprecedented drops in learning from 2019 to 2022 amounted to decades of lost progress. And while chronic absence has increased nationally, it is our most vulnerable children living in poverty who are especially unable to resume their school day routines on a regular basis. Moreover, state averages mask disparities that affect students of color, children in immigrant families and children from low-income families or attending low-income schools.

The Casey Foundation report contends that the pandemic is not the sole cause of lower test scores:  Educators, researchers, policymakers and employers who track students’ academic readiness have been ringing alarm bells for a long time. U.S. scores in reading and math have barely budged in decades. Compared to peer nations, the United States is not equipping its children with the high-level reading, math and digital problem-solving skills needed for many of today’s fastest-growing occupations in a highly competitive global economy.

According to the Casey Foundation, this lack of readiness will result in major harm to the nation’s economy and to our youth as they join the workforce. Up to $31 trillion in U.S. economic activity hinges on helping young people overcome learning loss caused by the pandemic. Students who don’t advance beyond lower levels of math are more likely to be unemployed after high school. One analysis calculates the drop in math scores between 2019 and 2022 will reduce lifetime earnings by 1.6% for 48 million pandemic-era students, for a total of $900 billion in lost income.

However, some states have delayed spending their share of the $190 billion critical federal pandemic funding (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER) that could help boost achievement. The U.S. Virgin Islands was awarded over $256 million in ESSER funding, of which approximately half has been spent according to the U.S. Department of Education (https://covid-relief-data.ed.gov/profile/state/VI). The deadline to allocate – not spend – this funding is September 30, 2024. Tens of billions of dollars set aside for schools will vanish forever if states do not act immediately.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation recommends the following:

• To get children back on track, we must make sure they arrive at the classroom ready to learn by ensuring access to low- or no-cost meals, a reliable internet connection, a place to study and time with friends, teachers and counselors.
• Expand access to intensive tutoring for students who are behind in their classes and missing academic milestones. Research has shown the most effective tutoring is in person, high dosage and tied directly to the school.
• States should take advantage of all their allocated pandemic relief funding to prioritize the social, emotional, academic and physical well-being of students. As long as funds are obligated by the Sept. 30 deadline, states should have two more full years to spend them.
• States and school systems should address chronic absence, so more students return to learn. While few states gather and report chronic absence data by grade, all of them should. Improving attendance tracking and data will inform future decision-making. Lawmakers should embrace positive approaches rather than criminalizing students or parents due to attendance challenges, because they may not understand the consequences of even a few days missed.
• Policymakers should invest in community schools, public schools that provide wraparound support to children and families. Natural homes for tutoring, mental health support, nutritional aid and other services, community schools use innovative and creative programs to support young learners and encourage parent engagement, which leads to better outcomes for