Winslow board hears detailed presentation on Eagles Landing school-based youth services

Dorsha Brooks, director of the Eagles Landing school-based Youth Services program, told the Winslow Township Board of Education on April 15 that the program provides a wraparound set of services — mental-health counseling, academic supports, employment coaching and crisis intervention — for middle- and high-school students.

Brooks, who said the state'originated New Jersey School-Based Youth Services Program was initiated in 1987 and is now housed in the Department of Children and Families, described core services and locally developed ancillary programs. "Our high school has served over 4,628 students through individual services," Brooks said, adding that the middle-school program (established in 2019) and high-school services together include individual and group counseling, a safe-space lounge and leadership-development activities.

The presentation listed specific offerings: summer transition programs for incoming seventh graders and incoming high-school freshmen, career conversations with trade and medical partners, instant-decision college days, paid summer internships arranged with the Camden County Workforce Investment Board, and a "wellness garden" built with state funds. Brooks said the garden received "well over $50,000" in state support as a post-COVID outdoor space for students.

Brooks gave program metrics from the most recent full year: 670 student appointments at the high school in 2024'1; 287 students used the safe-space lounge; and, across program years, thousands of students and events were recorded in state and district data. The presentation named members of the program's advisory board, which includes parents, students, municipal and county partners and local providers.

During public comment, local volunteers and parents credited Eagles Landing with measurable impact. Laquisha Ajibola, a Sicklerville parent, thanked the board on behalf of track families for promptly addressing championship jackets and said she appreciated the district's responsiveness. Volunteer Jasmine Rich said: "Children are our future. And we need to have people in place that will continue to motivate them and bring forth those programs like Ms. Brooks does," and recounted volunteers helping students build confidence and avoid negative outcomes.

The board did not take formal action on the program at the meeting; Brooks's presentation was received and will be part of the superintendent's report and ongoing oversight by the advisory board.