The St. Louis County Board is proud to support 50 schools participating in Check & Connect countywide, beginning with the 2021-2022 academic year. By leveraging Federal Covid Relief Funds, the St. Louis County Board will fund Check & Connect in participating schools through the 2023-2024 academic year.
Check & Connect is an intervention used with K-12 students who show warning signs of disengagement with school or who are at risk of dropping out. At the core of Check & Connect is a trusting relationship between the student and a caring, trained mentor who advocates for and challenges the student to keep education salient. Students are referred to Check & Connect when they show warning signs of disengaging from school, such as poor attendance, behavioral issues, and/or low grades.
We are excited to announce our YouTube Channel serving Check & Connect Schools in St. Louis County. Check us out on YouTube.
We will be expanding our digital presence, allowing our communities to see our program in action and witness the positive impact our mentors have in our schools.
Since implementing Check & Connect in St. Louis County in September 2021, 45 mentors have been hired, serving 985 students across 34 schools. The program is supervised by three Check & Connect Coordinators (Lisa Perkovich for North St. Louis County Schools, Sara Laulunnen for Duluth Public Schools, and John Engelking for South St. Louis County Schools.
As we began our program during the 2021-22 school year, Mentors established relationships with students, their families, and the school staff. We have seen over 900,000 minutes of direct support and over 400,000 connections with students. In addition, our mentors work with principals, counselors, and teachers to identify students for Check & Connect.
Over the 2021-2022 school year, participating schools saw a 75% decrease in absences and a 62% decrease in suspensions. We look forward to reflecting on the baseline data reports as we continue to support mentors and students in engaging with school and learning.
St. Louis County Check & Connect Participating Schools
North St. Louis County | South St. Louis County | Duluth Public Schools |
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Enjoy this video testimonial from Chaska High School in Chaska, MN. The video features principals, teachers, mentors, and students.
Watch for future testimonials and video updates from the St. Louis County Check & Connect Collaborative.
Access our August 10, 2022, Year-End Report!
Access our November 10, 2022, Report!
First County-Wide Workshop Held
St. Louis County Check & Connect held our first county-wide workshop at South Ridge High School on December 7, 2022. 44 Mentors from 34 schools throughout St. Louis County attended the all-day training.
The workshop was a smashing success! Mentors learned about the “Functions of Behavior” and how stress in the lives of our students leads to varying brain development and “Brain Architecture.” It was great meeting mentors from across the county and putting a face on our schools and Districts.
We will continue reinforcing the concepts of Functions of Behavior as we develop goals for the focus areas of our students.
Mentors and Coordinators wore Ugly Christmas Sweaters or Christmas PJs as an added seasonal fun factor. During lunch, mentors also got a chance to compete in a "Turkey Bowling Contest."mentors
St. Louis County Check and Connect is excited to announce our partnership with Duluth Screen Printing. The Check & Connect Store is open and ready for you to order your favorite C & C styles.
Enjoy your online shopping trip!
Orders take approximately two weeks.
