Providing Access to Education and Opportunities for Success

Education, both formal and informal, is part of the foundation of our society and takes place in a multiplicity of settings and ways. It is also an important social determinant of health (SDOH) and is consistently associated with better health outcomes. Unfortunately, in the U.S., every child does not have the same access to education and opportunities for success.

Schools in communities with fewer economic resources are themselves under-resourced, compounding the economic inequity with a lack of educational opportunity. As young people continue in their educational journey, the inequity only increases as costs for higher education make education beyond high school an unattainable dream for youth across the nation.

Education is also tied to health literacy, or the ability to understand communication about your health and advocate for yourself in healthcare settings. While educational attainment is a predictor of health literacy, traditional educational settings are not the only environment where health literacy can be improved. Adult education approaches aimed toward community members and providers can both increase community members’ health literacy and, perhaps more importantly, help providers communicate more clearly with their patients.

How We Provided Support

School closures throughout the country had a profound effect on education. Existing achievement gaps widened as students with poorer internet access and less familial support faced reduced access to education. While schools started to resume in-person classes in fall 2021, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) recognized a vital need to work with students to make up for lost time and reduce educational disparities. We invested in holistic support to under-resourced preschool students and their families, mentorship for high school students, after-school programs, technical education programs and college readiness programs.

Grantee Spotlight

Thread, Inc.

In Baltimore City, CareFirst partnered with Thread, Inc., to provide funding for their community model of COVID-19 response, aiming at providing community members with support for resource navigation and mobilization. Thread uses a unique mentorship model, engaging students during their freshman year of high school and committing to each student for 10 years. Each student is matched with four caring volunteers to form a Thread Family that represents a diverse cross-section of Baltimore, from university students to small business owners, empty nesters and retirees.

CareFirst’s investment in Thread provided vital funding to allow them to adapt their services in order to continue supporting students despite the pandemic and to expand their scope to provide additional support to 152 young people in need of extreme support as they faced obstacles like eviction, job loss, and physical and mental health challenges.

Community Partners in Howard County

The COVID-19 pandemic led to academic backsliding for many students, which could be especially challenging for those who were nearing graduation. CareFirst awarded a grant to Community Partners in Howard County to support their STEAM Forward program designed to support youth from low-income and first-generation families obtain a college degree. The STEAM Forward program provides education and support on the college admission process, the FAFSA and MSFAA, financial aid and SAT/ACT preparation.

After six months of implementation, 50% of participants in the STEAM program had received early acceptance letters to college.

Read our complete 2021 Community Impact Report.