Why do we need Community Schools?

There are several risk factors that affect a child’s development, chief among them poverty. Nationally, it is estimated that approximately 48% of children in poverty enter school ready to learn.

Approximately 14% of children currently live below the poverty level in Madison County.

Approximately 15.7% of children currently live below the poverty level in Cortland County.

In Onondaga County, one-in-five of the 5,039 children born each year are born into poverty.
That translates to approximately 6,670 children between the ages of zero and five living in poverty across the county, with the vast majority residing in the City of Syracuse (one of every two babies is born into poverty in the city).
In addition, approximately 20% of children in publicly funded health plans are not attending their well-child visits from birth to age 6, and approximately 46% of children are not participating in formal early learning experiences. 

This means that many of our students may experience hunger, abuse, neglect, fear, inadequate healthcare, the effects of institutional racism, trauma, and numerous adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) before they enter school, but this is where the mission of Community Schools exists: to identify and fill in the gaps where our students need more resources and support in order to ensure their personal and academic success.

We know that the community school model works. Community schools have documented school-wide positive effects on academic performance, family and community engagement, attendance, absenteeism, and discipline and health issues. Research has shown community schools are engaging families more and students have lower chronic absenteeism. 

We know that when families and educators work together, students are more engaged learners, especially in communities where poverty and racism erect barriers to learning, and where families have few resources to supplement what schools provide. Community schools give teachers, families, and community organizations the opportunity for tremendous learning and success for students in order to transform entire communities.