In 2009, the Community Foundation’s Fund for York County and the Women’s Giving Circle awarded grants to YorkCounts to support the application of a new charter school to the Commonwealth. Just two years later, York Academy Regional Charter School opened in downtown York with students in kindergarten, first, and second grades and with 200 children from twelve different county school districts. The three chartering districts – York Suburban, York City and Central York – partnered to bring the opportunity to have the only International Baccalaureate School in the county. This project came about through the leadership, patience, and hard work of the YorkCounts Educational Opportunities Committee, Women’s Giving Circle members, as well as community and education leaders. The children of York County are benefiting from this innovative, diverse, and engaging learning environment that provides a great public education choice to young families. The Community Foundation has continued to support the school and innovation in learning through grants in the areas of art and music.
Thanks in part to the Community Foundation, York Academy accomplished more than just offering a great education choice to young families and their children; it created a vibrant quadrant of our city by renovating a formerly vacant building and establishing innovative learning, excitement, and hope where it hadn’t previously existed.
York County Community Foundation’s Fund for York County gives us the opportunity to play a pivotal role in bringing about catalytic community improvement. The York Academy Regional Charter School is a visionary project that is improving our community right now.
