West Kern Consortium

The West Kern Consortium (WKC) for Full-Service Community Schools coordinates efforts and resources across organizations to create the conditions necessary for child and family success both inside and outside of school.  

The Community Schools strategy is person-centered and place-based.

A community school partners with service providers, weaving them into the fabric of the daily lives of students, families, and the community. A community school also has a relentless focus on joyful, responsive, and rigorous learning for all students.

The West Kern Consortium has Five Key Features

  • Early Childhood Education

  • Expanded Learning

  • Mathematics and Literacy Education

  • Family and Community Engagement

  • Social and Mental Health Services

The Children’s Cabinet of West Kern

There are so few public or private resources in West Kern communities. The fully operational Children’s Cabinet of West Kern (CCWK), an advisory body comprised of parents, community partners, and school leaders, is helping to address this challenge.

Why WKC?

Learn about why we think it makes sense to work together. / Conoce por qué creemos que tiene sentido trabajar juntos.

Courageous Coordinators

Entender el papel de un coordinador de escuela comunitaria. / Understand the role of a community school coordinator.

Superhero Social Workers

Find out about who our social workers are, what they do, and how to get support. / Aprende quiénes son nuestros trabajadores sociales, qué hacen y cómo obtener apoyo.

Established in 2018 (just before the onset of COVID-19), WKC for Full-Service Community Schools has become a model for rural collaboration around whole child, whole family, and whole community supports. The partnership consists of the following school districts:

  • Lost Hills Union Elementary School District (2018) - Lead Partner

  • Maple Elementary School District (2018)

  • Semitropic Elementary School District (2018)

  • Elk Hills Elementary School District (2019)

  • Wasco Union High School District (2020)

  • Taft Union High School District (2022)

WKC has become a model for community school implementation across multiple, rural schools and districts. In 2023, Lost Hills Union Elementary School District, Maple Elementary School District, and Semitropic Elementary School District (the original WKC) achieved the number one, two, and three spots for proficiency gains (compared to 46 total school districts in Kern County) in ELA and math from pre-pandemic levels. While most districts in the state dropped in math proficiency, the three WKC anchor districts improved with some in the top 5% of growth of California districts.  Additionally, in 2023, Maple Elementary School District celebrated the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in Kern.