Children in poverty are burdened with stresses most of us can barely imagine. After researching ways to best help as many students as possible, YCCF joined the community schools movement, partnering with the United Way of York County, our Women’s Giving Circle, and community philanthropists to bring Communities In Schools to the City of York. CIS embeds program coordinators in five schools in the City of York, acting as a liaison between the schools, the students, and the outside support that is so critical to the students’ success. CIS completed its second year here at the end of the 2016 school year, improving lives and educational outcomes.
These focused resources are crucial. As highlighted in our recently released YorkCounts Indicators, 100% of the students in the City of York are eligible for free and reduced lunch; in 2014, the truancy rate in the City of York was 30.26% and its graduation rate was 81.4%.
One of the many ways CIS helps local students is through parent engagement, which is directly linked to student success. With support from YCCF’s Women’s Giving Circle, CIS reached more than 2,500 students and parent/guardians last year in engagement activities like Goode’s Student of the Month Program, McKinley’s Boomer Book Club, and Jackson’s Trunk or Treat program (pictured here) that offered parents and their students a safe place to enjoy Halloween. More than 640 parents and 496 students enjoyed Trunk or Treat.
