Derby Public Schools staff introduced a proposal to pilot Prime Fit Youth, a non-profit mentorship program that pairs trained mentors with students for daily check-ins, twice-weekly academic support and weekly small-group social-emotional lessons.

Kim Wilson, a Wichita State professor and Prime Fit co-founder, and Tian (Tion) Wilson, a program director, described the model used in Wichita and other districts. The program emphasizes executive-function supports, trauma-informed practice and a daily, consistent mentor presence that the presenters and district staff said improves attendance, behavior and academic outcomes.

District leaders proposed a short pilot at Tanglewood Elementary and Derby Middle School beginning in February and running through May; the administration recommended a contract approach that would cost $5,200 for the two-school trial (district staff said grant funding and other sources would be used where available). The district plans to seek grants and leverage partner funding to reduce ongoing local cost.

Prime Fit’s materials include aggregated outcome data from more than 2,200 students across five years that the presenters said show large proportions of students with improved attendance, behavior and academic progress. The district and Prime Fit agreed the schools would identify 15–20 students each for the pilot and that parental permission would be required.

Next steps: the board asked administration to bring a formal agreement for board approval at a subsequent meeting; the Jan. 13 presentation was informational and no contract was approved during the meeting.