Greece Central reports community-schools growth: 13 of 18 campuses now covered, after-school participation rises

Kelly Spaduto, a district community schools leader, told the board the district now lists 13 of its 18 campuses as official community schools and said the strategy has expanded services and after-school programming across Greece Central.

Why it matters: Community schools combine in-school and wraparound services to reduce barriers to learning. The district said the approach has raised participation in out-of-school and enrichment programs, improved family engagement and helped stabilize housing for families in crisis.

Spaduto said the community schools team includes 13 site coordinators and parent coordinators at each campus, that the district has increased after-school elementary clubs to 164 unique clubs and reported more than 2,300 student participants in after-school activities this year. “When we were at the national conference, we joked we should get tattoos of it on our arms so no 1 forgets,” Spaduto said of the team’s guiding practices.

Kelly Flagler, a community schools leader, described specific programs and results: a New York State LEAPS grant to place a Boys and Girls Club after-school program at Arcadia Middle for sixth graders; free “summer fun camps” for elementary students; pre-K/k drop-in story sessions at the Early Learning Center; and co-located mental-health and family services through a Neighborhood Navigation Center that has served more than 250 families, with 55 families joining long-term care teams. Spaduto said a community-care initiative stabilized housing for 94% of participating families.

Student and family engagement also increased, the presentation said. The district reported more than 20 parents participating on district-level committees and more than 20 on building-level committees. The community schools team said it will place site coordinators at the district’s Summer Leadership Academy so their goals align with school-improvement planning.

Superintendent Smalley framed the strategy as “the connective tissue ensuring that students and families have access to resources that meet their basic needs so that our children can walk into the classroom ready to learn.” The board praised the work and some members asked for expansion of mental health first-aid training and for continued alignment with school improvement goals.

The district said Pine Brook and Patty Hill will join the community schools family next year and that the strategy continues to expand through local partnerships and grant funding.

The board did not vote on new policy at the meeting. The community schools update was presented as an informational report.