OUR PARTNERSHIPS
Building Partnerships and Avoiding Duplication
MLK Montessori School educates students at a rate affordable to low-income families. We offer meals, transportation, and family services. MLKMS realizes the financial burdens families carry just trying to meet everyday needs for their children such as shelter, food and clothing. MLKMS strives to provide the best possible education to low-income, at-risk children at the lowest possible cost.
In order to provide this high level of education, our staff has worked diligently to build relationships with other agencies throughout our community in order to utilize resources effectively and show good stewardship with our funds. Our on-going partnerships include:
YMCA: MLKMS contracts with the YMCA for support in the areas of fiscal, strategic, human resources, operational and board development.
CANI: Community Action of Northeast Indiana: CANI provides support to the school and the families through CCDF, child care vouchers. 90% of our families receive child care subsidies through the CANI office
Healthy Families / SCAN: We receive and accept referrals and place students from our program who are in need of childcare services. SCAN provides presentations to our children on gun safety, physical safety and “Good Touch, Bad Touch.”
YWCA / Self-Sufficiency Program: Fort Wayne Women's Bureau / Transitions Program: We receive and accept referrals for student placement in school while their mothers receive educational, parental and financial assistance in overcoming their addiction(s) as they obtain the skills needed to be a striving and productive parent.
Ivy Tech Community College: Ivy Tech uses our facilities as a student practicum site, and our staff attend early childhood classes financed by TEACH (state financed).
Indiana Purdue / Fort Wayne: Students that are enrolled in the Early Childhood classes come to our school to do their practicum studies.
Indiana Purdue / Fort Wayne Dental Clinic: We transport MLKMS students to the dental clinic to have their teeth cleaned and checked for possible problems. The dental students provided presentations to our children.
Matthew 25 / Neighborhood Health Clinic: We network with Matthew 25 not only for our parents, but also for our staff members who need medical attention and do not have health coverage. The Neighborhood Health Clinic provides free sickle cell, lead and hemoglobin screenings to all of our students.
Lion's Club: This organization provides vision screening for all our children free of charge.
Community Harvest Food Bank: With the help of this agency, we are able to supply food to families who are in need, especially around the holidays at a very reduced cost, if any.
Anthis Career Center: Through a partnership with the Anthis Early Childhood Educational Program, our school provides on-the-job training for local high school students.
Parkview Foundation Hospital: Through this partnership, a registered nurse is provided to the school to meet the everyday health needs of students, families and staff. In addition, Parkview Foundation provides a psychiatric nurse is provided on an as-needed basis and a speech pathologist is provided four days a week to meet the language needs of the children.
St. Joseph Community Health Foundation: Through a grant, this foundation provides funding for a Health Education Coordinator to ensure licensing health requirements are met and to provide additional support to our children, families and staff.
United Way: MLKMS is proud t be a partner agency of United Way of Allen County; receiving funding for operational support for our program.
Foellinger Foundation: provides funding for a full time Family Services Coordinator to provide our families with social service support and the Foundation also provides operational support for our early childhood program.
Other Local Support: Many foundations such as Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, English Bonter Mitchell, Kuhne Foundation and Arts United has help our school provide the necessary financial support needed for a quality early childhood education center for low income families.