Community In School and The 5 Basics - A Closer Look

Talk with any Community in School personnel, read any of our brochures, participate in any of our community events and you are bound to hear about the "Five Basics."  What are these "Five Basics" that are on the tip of every CIS employee, volunteer, and advocate tongue.   Simple put, the Five Basics include the following:

1.  A one-on-one relationship with a caring adult.
2.  A safe place to learn and grow.
3. The Third Basic: A healthy start and a healthy future.
4. The Fourth Basic: A marketable skill to use upon graduation.
5. The Fifth Basic: A chance to give back to peers and community.

 Let's get a closer look at how CIS-Henry  implements the Five Basics  

The First Basic: A one-on-one relationship with a caring adult.
  

In previous generations, a mother and father, living together, were expected to meet their children’s need for caring relationships with adults. In many cases there was also an extended family and a religious community, both of which served as mediating structures and provided a safety net for children. But today, millions of young people don't have traditional families, and the mediating structures have weakened or collapsed. It's up to the entire community to make sure these children have someone who cares about them.

CIS-Henry is providing the First Basic by connecting students with mentors (including family mentoring) through a wealth of community volunteers from businesses,  faith-based institutions, and concerned parents via our newly established mentoring program.

The Second Basic: A safe place to learn and grow.

 
In today’s world, a child’s neighborhood is not necessarily a safe or nurturing place. Schools, too, are not always safe and secure. The extended family is much less common, and youth do not feel that they're living in a community where they are known and cared about. For many young people, it's much worse than that. They know they're living in a bad, unhealthy place: where violence, drugs, gangs, unemployment and multigenerational poverty are commonplace. However, the school can and should be a safe place for children, both physically and emotionally, during and outside of normal school hours.  

CIS-Henry can provide the second Basic by facilitating before- and after-school programs, summer programs, gang intervention and prevention, violence prevention and school safety programs, “safe streets” initiatives, and community programs during the evenings and on weekends. 

The Third Basic: A healthy start and a healthy future.

How can children concentrate on schoolwork if they’re hungry, cold or having trouble seeing the blackboard? Basic health and human services are essential for every child. When families are themselves in need (and often baffled about how to get assistance from the labyrinth of public agencies), it’s up to the community to step in. 

CIS-Henry can provide the third Basic by connecting students and families with health care, including vision and hearing exams, as provided in our recent Vision Screening Event (highlighted in the 11/15 blog entry, "Communities in Schools in Action") and much more..  

                              The Fourth Basic: A marketable skill to use upon graduation.

Our children must acquire the knowledge, self-respect and discipline they'll need in order to secure a future for themselves and their families. As the American economy has shifted from an industrial based model to one based on service, young people need a different set of skills to be successful
after they complete school – whether they enter college or the world of work. In addition to basic computer and literacy skills, today’s labor force requires workers who have problem-solving skills, analytic ability and personal qualities like adaptability and self-management.

CIS-Henry can provide the fourth Basic through tutoring, literacy programs, career planning,employment training and job-shadowing, leadership skills training, and assistance with college planning and funding.

The Fifth Basic: A chance to give back to peers and community. 

Every child ought to have a chance to give back. The community must create environments for young people in which their gifts are nurtured, and service to others is expected and rewarded.
 
Affiliates such as CIS-Henry can provide the fifth Basic to students by creating opportunities for community service,service-learning, mentoring and tutoring younger children, volunteering with senior citizens, special community arts projects and much more.

(Robinson, Communities in Schools National)

We at Community In Schools- Henry (CIS-Henry) believe that each of the Five Basics is critical to ensuring that students stay in school and are prepared to be successful in life.  Contact us to find out how you can help.

For more information on CIS-Henry contact us at:
Communities in Schools - Henry
70 Macon Street
McDonough, GA 30253
Phone: 678 432 4499
E-mail:  crystal.cohen@cis-henry.org
http://www.cis-henry.org/

Crystal Cohen is the Part-Time Site Coordinator at the Henry County Communities in School Affiliate (CIS-Henry).  Her role at CIS-Henry includes coordinating services for students and their families, as well as implementing programs and activities based upon the specific needs of each assigned schools, as well as disseminating information regarding evidence based practices that promote student achievement.  She is also a full-time graduate student at Clayton State University's Master's of Psychology Program, Applied Developmental Track, with an expected graduation in the Summer of 2014.

Parental Involvement - Fast Facts and CIS Solutions

This week Communities In Schools of Henry County and United Way of Greater Atlanta hosted a reunion for the participants of Winter 2012 Vision and Voice Parent Leadership Institute (PLI). It was awesome hearing about the great work and future goals of these parent leaders.  Their efforts not only support their children's success, but their leadership supports all families within their community by proving students with the necessary tools in for success and achievement.  The  work of the PLI participants embody community outreach, as well as compliments the  research concerning the impact of parental involvement  on students' educational outcomes.  
 
What the research says about parent involvement in students' education:

• The most consistent predictors of children’s academic achievement and social adjustment are parent expectations of the child’s academic attainment and satisfaction with their child’s education at school.

•  Parents of high-achieving students set higher standards for their children’s educational activities than parents of low-achieving students.

• The earlier in a child’s educational process parent involvement begins, the more powerful the effects.

• The most effective forms of parent involvement are those, which engage parents in working directly with their children on learning activities at home.

• Family participation in education was twice as predictive of students’ academic success as family socioeconomic status. Some of the more intensive programs had effects that were 10 times greater than other factors

• When parents are involved students have:
• Higher grades, test scores, and graduation rates 
• Lower rates of suspension
• Decreased use of drugs and alcohol
• Fewer instances of violent behavior

Source: Cotton, K., Wikelund, K., Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, School Improvement Research Series. In Parent Involvement in Education.

CIS facilitates parental involvement by:

1. Identifying  and integrating resources and services from the business community to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning and development.
2. Providing information for students and families on community health, cultural, recreational, social support, and other programs/services.
3. Providing parents and schools with information on community activities that link to learning skills and talents, including summer programs for students

For more information on CIS-Henry contact us at:
Communities in Schools - Henry
70 Macon Street
McDonough, GA 30253
Phone: 678 432 4499 
http://www.cis-henry.org/

Crystal Cohen is a Graduate student in Clayton State University's Master's of Psychology Program, Applied Developmental Track, with an expected graduation date in 2014.  Her role at Communities in School-Henry includes program development and evaluation, as well as dissemination of information via social media platforms of evidence based practices that promote student achievement.