Wilmington Learning Collaborative to Bring Groundbreaking AHN Chill Project to Wilmington Schools

WILMINGTON, DE - The Wilmington Learning Collaborative (WLC), in partnership with the Christina School District, today announced the expansion of the Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Chill Project™ to Wilmington, Delaware. This initiative is funded by the Wilmington Learning Collaborative and supported through Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware's BluePrints for the Community investment program for the design and materials for the AHN Chill Rooms™, which will be established at Maurice Pritchett Sr. Academy and The Bayard School and will feature IKEA as the furniture and design partner.

This marks the first time the AHN Chill Project will be implemented outside of Pennsylvania, creating a new opportunity for students, teachers, and families in Wilmington to access evidence-based mental health resources in a school setting. The project also includes a key partnership with Nemours Children's Health, who will operate the AHN Chill Rooms and facilitate the AHN Chill Project model at both schools. AHN has licensed the rights for the AHN Chill Room™ design and the AHN Chill Project model to the collaborative.

"Through this incredible partnership with Wilmington Learning Collaborative and Nemours Children's Hospital, and with the support of Highmark BCBS Delaware BluePrints, AHN Chill Project is grateful for the opportunity to pilot our new licensing model and serve two school communities within the Christina School District in Wilmington, Delaware," said William C. Davies, Ed.D., founder and director of the AHN Chill Project."AHN Chill Project provides innovative, multi-tiered school-based behavioral health solutions to communities, and we are excited to now provide this program beyond our home base of western Pennsylvania. It's another great example of Highmark Health's commitment to improving health and wellness across all of the communities that it serves."

A Calming Solution for Students, Teachers, and Families
School-related stress is a challenge for students, teachers, and parents alike. AHN Chill Project addresses this by offering a multi-tiered program that includes an AHN Chill Room, innovative curriculum, and school-based behavioral health therapy. Participating schools have seen improvements such as:

• Reduced behavioral health incidents in students, including chronic absenteeism, disruptive behavior, and out-of-school placements
• Enhanced well-being for educators and parents, increasing access to support resources.
• An improved trauma informed culture across the school community.

Through this partnership, Nemours Children's Health will offer Maurice Pritchett Sr. Academy and The Bayard School the full a range of services within the AHN Chill Project model, including individual and group counseling, support groups, medication management, , preventive and emotional wellness curriculum for students, and professional development for educators.

"Piloting the AHN Chill Project in WLC schools has been a year in the making and we could not have brought this behavioral health model to fruition without the partnership of Highmark Delaware. This has truly been a community effort with the Nemours, Allegheny Health Network, and Christina School District working tirelessly to ensure that we are able to access the resources to design spaces conducive to student wellness and healing," said Dr. Laura Burgos, Executive Director of the Wilmington Learning Collaborative. "We are thrilled to be the recipient of a grant from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware's BluePrints for the Community investment program. The licensing of the AHN Chill Project and staffing of the space is a significant investment. We are grateful to have secured the necessary support to cover the cost of designing the Chill Room in both the Pritchett Academy and Bayard schools."

Leading furniture and furnishings retailer IKEA is the design and furniture partner for Wilmington's new Chill Rooms. IKEA also designed the AHN Chill Room located at Pleasant Hills Middle School in the West Jefferson Hills School District in Pittsburgh. Construction of the Chill Rooms is underway at both Wilmington schools, and a launch event and ribbon-cutting will be scheduled soon.

"We are excited to provide our students with a safe and supportive space dedicated to emotional well-being. This innovative room will empower students to manage their emotions, encourage self-reflection and equip them with vital coping strategies. By promoting stress reduction and emotional regulation, our goal is to improve focus, enhance social skills, and foster overall well-being for our students. In a world where our students face high-stress situations daily, the Chill Room will be a sanctuary where they can gather their thoughts and find peace. We believe this will not only elevate their daily experiences but also contribute to a significant reduction in disciplinary actions, allowing them to succeed both academically and personally." Dr. Sharon Hill-Flournoy, Assistant Principal, Maurice Pritchett Sr. Academy.

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About the Wilmington Learning Collaborative and Christina School District
The Wilmington Learning Collaborative (WLC) is a network of schools operating across the Christina, Brandywine, and Red Clay school districts, committed to creating positive change across schools in Wilmington, Delaware. The nine schools that comprise the collaborative include Maurice Pritchett Sr. Academy, Harlan Elementary School, Stubbs Early Education Center, The Bayard School, The Bancroft School, Pulaski Early Education Center, Shortlidge Academy, Warner Elementary School, Joseph E. Johnson Elementary School, and William C. Lewis Dual Language Elementary School. The WLC's primary objective is to establish a consistent learning experience for students, while simultaneously fostering the empowerment of educators, school leaders, and communities-thereby enhancing overall student outcomes within the City of Wilmington schools. To learn more about the Wilmington Learning Collaborative, visit https://wlc-de.org/.