Helping Kids and Families Be All They Can Be
The Community School Strategy is creating lasting change for Idaho students and families by coordinating resources and relationships through local schools to increase opportunities and advance student and family success.
Introduced to Idaho in 2014 by United Way of Treasure Valley, this strategy is now being used at 40+ schools in Idaho.
Students can face barriers outside the classroom that make it difficult for them to be successful inside the classroom.
By finding the right partners to help address these barriers, children and families are supported both inside and outside the classroom.
With resources like free preschool and afterschool programs, mentorship, flu shots, dental services, mental health services, community gardens, and adult education, the Community School Strategy is reimagining schools to be a place where the community unites to lift each other.,
Because when a community takes care of its own, opportunity has a way of showing up in new places.
A key player in the implementation of this strategy is the Community School Coordinator.
The Community School Coordinator's role
The role of Community School Coordinators is different from that of a teacher, counselor, or principal and thus, tends to be less well understood.
One of the foundational parts of the Community School Coordinator role is to build relationships with students, staff, families, organizations, and service providers in the community. This Coordinator is responsible for brokering and sustaining partnerships that align with the vision at their particular site.
Partnerships fall under the Four Pillars of Community Schools. Community School Coordinators work alongside school administrators, teachers, counselors, and nurses to organize existing resources, programs, and opportunities around student success.
This unique job requires adaptability, strategic thinking, and leadership.
Our Support for Community Schools
United Way of Treasure Valley provides funding support to seven local Community Schools. We serve as the backbone for the statewide Idaho Coalition for Community Schools which helps all Idaho Community Schools and community partners collaborate and advocate for supportive policies. We host a monthly Learning Community for Community School practitioners to help deepen knowledge and best practices. And we provide basic needs resources to schools all across the Treasure Valley.
20,665
Students served by Community Schools in Idaho.
35
Community Schools received professional development in 2022.
6
Schools received funding from United Way of Treasure Valley's annual Grant cycle in 2022.
Community School Coordinator Testimonials
"Your team does a wonderful job of supporting our teams. The continued connections with community partners, the statewide promotion and lobbying for system changes are things you do that I truly appreciate, and I can see making a difference for our families." - Nampa staff
"Children across the nation had to demonstrate grit and perseverance on a daily basis over this last school year during this pandemic. NSD team was committed to ensuring that EVERY child felt success and at school. Whether "school" was physically in a classroom space (6 feet apart) or in their home during our hybrid schedule . Our Pirate team, with the support of United Way and our Community Schools Resource Coordinator, was able to stay united and provide the resources and support our students needed to be successful this past school year. School was hard for all students. Not just the ones that were falling behind. However, we were able to be creative and build stamina and grit among our students AND staff. We celebrated the small milestones met in academics and offered additional support for students and families that were struggling. Without the cohort and collaboration from our partnerships this school year, our Pirate Community would not of been as successful." - Notus staff
Information on Community Schools
For more information about Community Schools, visit our Idaho Coalition for Community Schools website, or contact hregan@unitedwaytv.org
Community Schools Videos
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