Missions News: Investing in Urban Youth through Educational Reform

By Kevin Good

All parents, regardless of socioeconomic levels, desire a safe, nurturing and enriching school setting for their child. A place where "what's in the best interest of the child is considered" in every decision, where people genuinely care about the development of their child. Through the support of Central and its members, you have made that desire a reality for many Baltimore City families by supporting the work of Baltimore Christian School.

Baltimore Christian School, located minutes from Central off of Greenmount Avenue, seeks to be a school that provides an excellent, extensive and holistic education at an affordable price. The school primarily serves families in the Greater Govans area of North Baltimore City. Our school has been rated by Baltimore Child's Magazine as the most affordable private school. Our sliding scale tuition based on family need allows our families to pay an average tuition of only $1,500 when it costs the school approximately $6,500 per child. Our average family consists of 4 children led by a single mom who makes below $25,000.

Baltimore Christian School is a ministry of Faith Christian Fellowship, who not only founded the school in 1993, but continues to provide financial support and volunteers. While Faith was at the forefront of addressing the community's needs for an alternative to the public schools, the school's growth and expansion necessitated finding partners like Central who have a heart for justice, mercy and holistic ministry through word and deed.

The importance of a good school in the life of a child cannot be dismissed. Apart from the home, a child will spend most of their time in their school. We believe that our small class sizes, individualized attention, varied activities, good role models and our commitment to work with the family and local church to address the whole person over a longer period of time creates a home away from home for our students. Our vision ~ that is shared by our staff and parents ~ is to prepare youth to make successful transitions into adulthood and to pursue their higher calling in a context of God's love. This is a beautiful picture that stands in stark contrast to the many disturbing statistics that plague our city.

Your partnership makes this vision a reality when you supported our construction of a safe and attractive playground or our updated office space or when you gave to our scholarship funding program. So, we again thank you, on behalf of our families that thought this type of school would not be an option and we look forward to strengthening our partnership as we answer God's call to serve others through educational reform in our city.

If you would like more information about the school and want see how you could partner with us by supporting our scholarship fund or volunteering, please contact Kevin or you can visit our website at baltimorechristianschool.org.