• What is a community school?

    Using schools as hubs, community schools bring educators, families, and community partners together to offer a range of opportunities, supports, and services to children, youth as well as their families and communities. Community schools:

    •      Provide expanded learning opportunities that are motivating and engaging during the school day, after school, and in the summer; and
    •      Offer essential health and social supports and services;
    •      Engage families and communities as assets in the lives of their children and youth.

    Every community school responds to unique local needs and includes the voices of students, families, and residents.  Schools become centers of the community and are open to everyone—beyond school hours, including evenings and weekends. 

    Community schools have a climate and culture that enable students to develop cognitive, social, emotional, physical, civic, and ethical competencies and the capacity to thrive in college, career, and life and as participants in our democracy.

    Think of community schools as both a strategy and a place. A strategy for bringing together educators, families and community stakeholders to attain collective impact; a place where the community gathers to support the education of its children and youth and a place through which its young people are connected to learning experiences across the community.

    (www.communityschools.org)