Title
Community Spotlight - Communities In Schools - Bay Area (Mayor Hallisey)
The mission of Communities In Schools is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
Background
Organizational Summary
Founded in 1989, CIS - Bay Area is a nonprofit dropout prevention program that provides case management services for at-risk and economically disadvantaged children. CIS - Bay Area has school-based programs on 16 Clear Creek and Dickinson ISD campuses in Harris and Galveston counties. This school year, over 1,200 students will receive CIS - Bay Area case management services and 14,000 will participate in CIS - Bay Area campus-wide activities.
CIS - Bay Area is an affiliate of Communities In Schools National, a federation of independent 501(c)(3) organizations that focus on local impact for schools, students, families and communities. Each affiliate has their own geographical area with service provision tailored to the communities served, and distinct funding sources that financially support program operations.
The mission of CIS - Bay Area is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. CIS - Bay Area cultivates partnerships with nonprofit agencies, community volunteers, and local businesses to integrate services and supports into schools and match them with student needs. The purpose of CIS - Bay Area programming is to remove barriers to success so that at-risk and economically disadvantaged students can reach their potential, be successful in school, and graduate.
Target Population and Schools Served
The target population for case management services is kindergarten through 12th grade at-risk and economically disadvantaged students who can benefit from services and interventions both in and outside of school. At-risk describes a student who has specific factors that can impact academic performance, including students who have failed two or more classes, failed to advance to the next grade level, received unsatisfactory scores on assessment tests, have previously dropped out of school, or have limited English proficiency. Economically disadvantaged students are eligible for free and reduced meals under the national nutrition program guidelines. In addition, CIS - Bay Area continues to work with students and families who were impacted by Hurricane Harvey, including providing a safe school environment to help students cope with emotional issues related to experiencing a disaster, individual supportive guidance and support groups, and connection to community resources for basic needs assistance.
CIS - Bay Area provides school-based case management services in the communities of Houston, Dickinson, Webster, League City, and Friendswood. Schools selected for programming are campuses that have been identified by the district as having the most need.
Clear Creek ISD
Clear Brook High School
Clear Creek High School
Clear Path Alternative School
Clear Springs High School
Bayside Intermediate School
Brookside Intermediate School
Clear Creek Intermediate School
League City Elementary School
McWhirter Elementary School
Dickinson ISD
Dickinson High School
McAdams Jr. High School
Kranz Jr. High School
Barber Middle School
Dunbar Middle School
Lobit Middle School
K.E. Little Elementary School
Achievements
For 29 years CIS - Bay Area has provided school-based dropout prevention programming for the Clear Creek and Dickinson school districts. CIS - Bay Area has a proven track record of success within the two districts served and has an excellent reputation for helping children in need in the Bay Area community.
Program Expansion: CIS - Bay Area has adapted to the changing demographics of the two districts served by expanding programming to campuses that have the greatest need.
CIS - Bay Area recently received funding to implement the Community Partnership Pilot Project for both Dickinson and Clear Creek districts. The goal of the project is to replace gaps in service provision at underserved campuses by working in partnership with district social workers, providing accessibility to critical resources. Each project has a Community Partnership Coordinator who will assess specific underserved campuses that do not have CIS - Bay Area programming to identify the greatest needs. The Coordinator will then cultivate and manage strategic partnerships within the community and match them to the needs of students and campuses.
CIS - Bay Area has implemented programming for the 2018-2019 school year at the new Eugene Kranz Junior High School in Dickinson, TX. With this expansion, CIS - Bay Area has school-based programs on 7 Dickinson ISD campuses, including both junior high schools that feed into Dickinson High School.
CIS - Bay Area was named Nonprofit of the Year by the League City Regional Chamber of Commerce in February 2018.