Organizations and Districts That Have Successfully Developed School-Linked, Integrated Services
The following selected listing of programs and organizations working to develop school-linked, integrated services is a good place to start as you plan to visit or contact other organizations and/or districts. By discussing issues of collaboration with those who have initiated partnerships, you may strengthen your efforts to coordinate services in your community and district.
Contact: Gaye M. Smith, Deputy Director, 316 East Bay Street, Savannah, GA 31401; (912) 651-6810, FAX: (912) 651-6814.
This initiative, created as a result of state legislation has been in operation since July 1988. The purpose of the project is to build a community collaborative with policies, procedures, and funding that will facilitate the development of youth into productive and economically self-sufficient adults. The partnership consists of the city, Chatham County, Savannah-Chatham Public Schools, and over 20 United Way and other human service agencies, and businesses. Project sites include a Neighborhood Family Resource Center, middle and high schools, company worksites, and local churches. The program serves area families--a total population of 24,000. The Authority provides case management, preschool programs, adolescent health and mental health services, after-school programs, school-to-work transition assistance, neighborhood outreach, and family support and
Illinois Project Success (throughout the state of Illinois)
Contact: Rosemarie Frey, Office of the Governor, James R. Thompson Center, 16th Floor, 100 W. Randolph, Chicago, IL 60601; (312) 814-3941.
Project Success was introduced in May 1992 with six communities. As of 1998, the program has been established in more than 190 communities. Project Success challenges local community leaders, educators, parents, and state social service agencies to work together to identify problems of school-age children and to act on them quickly. Each community embraces the six core service components of the program to ensure that every child and family has access to preventive and primary health care; proper nutrition and nutrition education; preventive and rehabilitative mental health services; services that protect and promote the stability of the family; substance abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment; and positive social activities.
Each Project Success site employs a Project Coordinator who works with a Local Governing Board (LGB) to develop a Community Action Plan and work on implemenation of that plan. Key members of the LGB are representatives of the school, the parent body, and community agencies. There is an emphasis on working with other collaborative groups within a community and providing suggestions to state agencise on how policies and procedures might be modified to better serve community needs.
"Future educational success depends on a supportive family and community environment for our children. We must recognize the interrelatedness of a family and social conditions as critical factors in a child's ability to learn." --Governor Jim Edgar
Kentucky Family Resource & Youth Service Centers (throughout the state of Kentucky)
Contact: Family Resource and Youth Services Centers, Cabinet for Human Resources, 275 East Main Street, Frankfort, KY 40621; (502) 564-4986.
Contact: Martha Ferguson, Okolona Family Resource Center, 7606 Preston Highway, Louisville, KY 40219; (502) 473-8194, FAX: (502) 473-8482.
Realizing the importance of integrated services, legislators in Kentucky laid the foundation for comprehensive, statewide integrated service delivery as a part of the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). There are over 350 Family Resource and Youth Service Centers across the state of Kentucky. Most Centers are located at or near school sites and provide services in the areas of substance abuse, child care, mental health, maternity, and employment counseling. Generally, Family Resource Centers serve elementary students and Youth Service Centers middle and high school students, but some combination centers serve students from K-12. To qualify to participate in the Kentucky Family Resource or Youth Service Center, 20 percent or more of the student population of the proposed school site must be eligible for free school lunch, but the centers are open to everyone. Kentucky continues to establish Family Resource and Youth Service Centers to provide needed services to Kentucky families, children, and youth.
First Neighborhood Place, Louisville, KY
Contact: John D. LeMaster, Jr., M.Ed., Director, First Neighborhood Place, P.O. Box 35067, Louisville, KY 40232; (502) 962-3160, FAX: (502) 473-8045.
The Neighborhood Place is a prototype of "one-stop" shopping for families with multiple needs. The Neighborhood Place houses representatives from seven area social service agencies. Families can fill out one form for referral to one or more of the following services: financial assistance, health services, health assessments, and employment training and referral.
New Jersey School Based Youth Services Program (SBYSP) (throughout the state of New Jersey)
Contact: Roberta Knowlton, Director, School Based Youth Services Program, Department of Human Services, CN700, Trenton, NJ 08625-0700; (609) 292-7901, FAX (609) 984-7380.
Through this statewide initiative, the New Jersey Department of Human Services provides health and social services in or near the school. The program has been in existence since 1987 and sites are located in urban, rural, and suburban areas. Approximately 15,000 students access the services provided by the SBYSP annually. 51 percent of those students are female, 50 percent are African-American, 26 percent are white, and 23 percent are Hispanic. Although there is no set model, minimally, each site must provide: employment and training assistance; mental health and family counseling (including substance abuse counseling); primary and preventive health services; and information, referral, and follow-up to community services. In addition, sites may provide services to keep teen parents in school, resolve conflicts between students and groups, handle child abuse issues, help homeless youth, and deal with students who have poor attendance. Some of the sites also provide day care, special vocational programs, family planning, and transportation. All programs are located in or near a school and are open every day of the year and have evening hours. Staff are readily accessible before, after, and during school hours. Results from a survey conducted two years ago indicate that 86 percent of school personnel felt that SBYSP adds to their effectiveness and ability to assist students.
Rheedlen Centers for Children and Families Program, New York, New York
Contact: George Khaldun, Rheedlen Centers for Children and Families Program, 2770 Broadway, New York, NY 10025; (212) 866-0700.
Started in 1970, this program provides preventive services designed to keep at-risk students in school and ensure that they receive a meaningful education. All programs, including recreational programs, have an academic component. The program mainly serves economically disadvantaged African-American families in Central Harlem, East Harlem, Manhatten Valley, and Clinton. Most of the staff are African-American community members. The staff includes 52 full-time, 56 part-time, and 13 community and private sector volunteers. The 100+ teachers, social workers, activity specialists, and program aides administer services through seven programs. Programs include a Truancy Prevention Program, the Rheedlen Dropout Prevention Programs, and a Parents Help Center. The Centers also operate Center 54, a community center in Manhattan for students already involved in the academic component of the Centers. Center 54 is open five days a week from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 pm. for seven months of the year and until 6:00 p.m. for the remaining five months. Project Motivation, located at a local school, provides services to community members. Another of the Rheedlen Centers programs, Rheedlen Place, provides services to families and addresses children's response to possible homelessness. Previously homeless families can obtain short-term educational and social services. Counseling and advocacy services are available. The program also provides after-school programs for children.
School of the Future Project, Houston, Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio, Texas
Contact: Dr. Wayne H. Holtzman, Special Counsel, or Dr. Scott Keir, Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, The University of Texas at Austin, P.O. Box 7998, University Station, Austin, TX 78713-7998; (512) 471-5041, FAX: (512) 471-9608.
This program started in 1989. It encompasses 4 middle schools, grades 6-8; and 7 elementary schools, grades K-5. The project is based on the work of Dr. James Comer of the Yale University School of Medicine and Dr. Edward Zigler of Yale's Bush Child Development Center. Hogg Foundation for Mental Health provided $50,000 to each demonstration site for a five year period. The grant allows for a full-time social work coordinator at each site. Foundation funds also provide for technical assistance and evaluation support to each site. In addition, each site has up to 30 contributing partners.
Each site also has an Executive Committee responsible for guiding project implementation in their community. The Committee includes the principal and project coordinator from each site and at least one representative from the following groups: financial partners, teachers, parents, school nurse, and school counselor. The purpose of the project is to provide integrated, treatment and prevention focused health and human services. Public schools serve as a central location for delivery. The program has four major components: school-based services, prevention services, educational enhancement, and use of outside support.
Schools Partnership Training Institute (SPTI), San Francisco, California
Contact: Howard Blonsky, Director, Schools Partnership Training Institute, 3272 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94118; (415) 563-0335.
The School Partnership Training Institute was established in 1992. The purpose of the Institute is to provide educators and human service providers with the knowledge and skills necessary to work collaboratively. The SPTI is a joint project of the Jewish Family and Children's Services of San Francisco, the Peninsula, and Sonoma and Marin counties. It emerged as a result of Jewish Family and Children's Services extensive experience at providing services to schools, day-care centers, and camps through its' Schools Partnership Consultation Project. Institute faculty include educators, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, doctors, and nurses from throughout northern California. The SPTI cross-disciplinary, yearlong training curriculum was developed with the input of over 30 professionals. Training consists of seven intensive staff development seminars. On-going, follow-up activities include small-group problem-solving sessions, daylong seminars, workshops, and presentations. Training targets educators; and social service, mental health, and health service providers. School district and administrative staff also participate in the training.
The information listed above is excerpted from a companion resource booklet for NCREL's Urban Audio Journal (Vol. 1, No. 1), Shared Responsibility--Changed Lives: School-Linked and Community-Based Integrated Services (1995), an audiocassette developed by NCREL's Urban Education Program.
Contact: info@ncrel.org