(Site Coordinator Phoebee Jean and Stanton Elementary School Principal Richardson)

At the end of the school year, Stanton Elementary School Site Coordinator Jovan Johnson identified a critical community need within the school: students need access to clean clothing. He noticed that many students needed help with their clothing at home or within their neighborhoods. Before transferring to CISNCAP Cardozo Education Campus, he encouraged the new CISNCAP Site Coordinator, Phoebe Jean, to work on this issue.

Phoebe assessed the school community and found that families often used public laundromats in Maryland (a few miles from Stanton Elementary School). The lack of clean uniforms has been a barrier for many students at Stanton Elementary School, and in collaboration with Principal Richardson, Phoebe, and Jovan devised a plan to address this crisis. Applying funds from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education for a Community School Incentive Initiative grant, Phoebe purchased a washer and dryer to be installed on-site. Now, there is a washing and drying facility available to students.

This initiative will benefit hundreds of students and their families. As a result, we expect that in-seat attendance will increase for students who previously missed school days due to being embarrassed about the lack of clean uniforms.

“Stanton Elementary School serves over 300 Students and Families in Washington, DC’s Ward 8 is a robust community full of promise yet plagued by challenges. Oftentimes, our community has limited access to vital resources that make everyday life a possibility. At Stanton, our hope is to engage families in a meaningful way as we build and strengthen our relationships and ties to the community. We know that having clean clothes is such an important part of starting your day on the right foot and feeling confident! We are so thankful to our Communities in Schools of the Nation’s Capital partners for their help in sponsoring our brand-new Laundry room! Now, we can do our part to eliminate a barrier that has historically kept children home from school and ensure that every scholar is their best self every day!”
– Principal Allen Richardson, Stanton Elementary School