What Is a Community Schools Coordinator?

Although on its surface, the concept of Community Schools is easy to understand, it doesn’t just happen. Aligning and accessing community resources and bringing them into school buildings requires knowledge, energy, thoughtfulness, and more than a little diplomacy. Just as with any relationship, this work takes planning, perseverance, and intentionality. Enter the Community Schools Coordinator (CSC).

The CSC is familiar with the needs and systems within the school district or building, as well as services and resources available at the local, county, and state levels. The CSC is skilled at connecting staff, students, and families with those resources. Sometimes, when resources do not exist, the CSC will be instrumental in creating those resources for the community to access. For example, CSCs in the Williamson Central School District recognized that some students’ basic needs were unmet. They got space from the school and filled it with food and clothing for the benefit of those students. Coordinators work closely with Foodlink, area food pantries, charitable organizations, and community members to keep the pantry and closet full.

Erin Rowley, one of the CSCs for the Williamson Central School District, says that since she began a little over a year ago, her primary “…focus is getting to know the children in the district and the families in the district … and help them thrive in the building throughout the day.” Regular and seemingly mundane interactions with students allow her to establish relationships and build connections with students and families. For example, assisting with grab-n-go breakfasts helped her identify 3^rd and 4^th graders who lacked winter gear. Working with CSCs at other districts, as well as known community resources, Rowley was able to provide new, or gently used, boots, gloves, hats, and snowpants to every student who wanted them.

Tammy Thiel, CSC for the Sodus Central Jr/Sr High School, can be found most days in the food pantry. The pantry is a place where students know they can come for a quick snack or for a deep conversation. It is a place where they feel valued and heard. Building these kinds of connections is one of the four cornerstones of Wayne County Community Schools.

Community School Coordinators also build attachment by providing students and their families with activities. They can team up with Wayne MOST (Maximizing Out-of-School Time), the Wayne County Community Schools FACE (Families And Community Engagement) Team, and others to provide events and activities, especially during exam weeks and school breaks.

Since the concept of Community Schools is new to some districts, and because it looks different in different districts (or even in different buildings within the same district), the biggest challenge facing Community Schools Coordinators is often just getting the word out and explaining what is possible through the Community Schools strategy. Initial contacts are the hardest, but once relationships start to form, each CSC’s role will grow into what the community needs.

Finding that niche to fill comes with challenges, but it also comes with rewards, as well. Rowley recounted a story of overhearing a child in the breakfast line tell a friend that she didn’t have any sweaters or sweatshirts that fit her, and she was cold. Rowley later told that student that she had a sweater in her size and favorite color at the Mauraders’ Closet and would she be interested? The student tried the sweater and loved it! When told that she could keep it, the student was thrilled beyond belief. The next day, she presented Rowley with a drawing: a generous gift from a grateful heart. These are the relationships that strengthen a community and build a bright future.

Eliza Reed, Community School Coordinator at the Red Creek High School explains her role as follows:

"My role as a CSC is to strengthen connections between school, families, and community by coordinating programs, events, and resources that support students’ academic, social, and emotional success. I attend MTSS meetings and am a part of the district's crisis response team. I coordinate and support a wide range of school- and community-based initiatives such as Operation Graduation, family engagement nights, the food pantry, & clothing/hygiene closet, and a cooking class for toddlers & kids at the local library. I also build partnerships with local agencies, assist with fundraising for different school-based clubs, gather feedback from families to improve programs, and help staff integrate social-emotional learning and family engagement activities. All of this for the goal of fostering student success and community involvement."

Visit https://www.waynecountycommunityschools.org/ to learn more about Community Schools in Wayne County.