Communities In Schools of Kansas

On Tuesday, October 18, 2011, officials from Communities In Schools of Kansas, Garden City Public Schools, AT&T, and the Finnup Foundation gathered at Garden City High School to celebrate the beginning of a Communities In Schools program in Garden City. The start up of the program at Garden City High School was made possible through major gifts from AT&T and the Finnup Foundation.

Partnering with public school districts, Communities In Schools places Site Coordinators in schools who serve as a bridge between schools and businesses, faith groups and not-for-profit agencies to mobilize local resources to provide a range of services. Those services often include mentoring, tutoring, health care, summer and after-school programs, family counseling, vocational learning and much more.

Communities In Schools Site Coordinators work with teachers and administrators to identify school and student needs. Next, Site Coordinators deliver two forms of social services in the school buildings – whole school programs and individual case management. Whole school programs are essential in amplifying important issues for students, while case management provides students with the greatest needs individualized attention so they can successfully learn, stay in school and achieve in life.

In conjunction with the press conference, Garden City High School students participated in Reality U, a financial literacy program of Communities In Schools of Kansas.  Reality U is an exercise that helps students understand some of the “realities” involved in preparing for an employable future and adulthood.

Read more about our Garden City program in these articles from the Garden City Telegram:

Program aims to prepare students for life after school

Team Effort: Coordinating resources helps spur higher graduation rates