Phase Two: Community Mapping
Understanding the broader ecosystem of supports in the community is key to getting the right services to the right students at the right time. During this phase, the School Leadership Team should canvass the community to identify the relationships and services that are in place beyond the four walls of the school building. Use this section of the A&N tool to ascertain what is working well and what more could be in place to support students and families.
The Community Mapping checklists were developed based on research from the National Coalition for Community Schools (http://bit.ly/NCCS_AN), and The Citizens Committee for Children (http://bit.ly/CCC_AssetMapping).
Resources to Get Started
What to Look For...
Child and youth services offer opportunities and supports for children and youth across various domains. These services can include youth employment programs, mentoring programs, out-of-school-time learning programs, college and career readiness programs, after school care, and more. Click here to access the question set.
Health and wellness resources in the community include general health resources (i.e. hospitals, health clinics, dental, vision, and providers) as well as wellness resources (i.e. pharmacies, supermarkets, and laundromats), and mental health resources (i.e. suicide prevention and substance use prevention services). Click here to access the question set.
Community activities and resources include cultural institutions such as libraries and museums, green spaces such as parks and community gardens, recreation facilities, and other public spaces that contribute to the community. Click here to access the question set.
Family Services include an array of services that support the whole family. These services include social services, ACS preventive services, immigration support, food assistance, and benefits assistance. Search your community for service providers and think about how they could be potential Community School partners. Click here to access the question set.
These education and service opportunities offer adults in the community continuing education at universities, trade schools, and GED programs. Services also include workforce development and financial literacy services. Click here to access the question set.
Housing services assist families in need. These include NYC Housing Authority, homeless shelters, eviction prevention, drop-in centers, and other types of housing supports. Click here to access the question set.
Potential Risk Factors
The risk factors listed in this section were identified by the Center for New York City Affairs at The New School (http://bit.ly/Risk_Map) as high risk factors for chronic absence and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (http://bit.ly/CommRisk) as factors that affect the health and safety of the community. Click here to access the question set.
Partnerships
Keen to track the partnerships you develop in your community? Use the partnerships log in the hardcopy version of the A&N tool (http://bit.ly/AssetsNeeds) to keep track of people, places and phone numbers.