Community Schools
Schools have many resources and supports, but sometimes needs fall outside of the school’s sphere of influence. Community Schools partner with families and community organizations to offer families a wide range of services to address academic and non-academic barriers to learning and success. Every Community School has different priorities based on their unique needs, so they all look a bit different. All Community Schools, however, work with students and their families to provide the services and support that they say they need.
The 29 schools in SCOE Community Schools consortium can refer families to their school’s Community Connect Coordinator for a variety of resources, such as parent education, housing and food assistance, mental health services, behavior help, and more. The Community Connect Coordinator reaches out to the family, and the families decide what services (if any) they want. All services are free, confidential and optional, and students cannot access them without parent/guardian consent. The Community Connect Coordinator does not share confidential information regarding the family or student without the permission of the parent/guardian.
What families have asked for most:
- Mental health services: 43%
- Behavior help: 19%
- Basic needs: 17%
- Parenting support: 9%
How many families have used Community Connect?
- Referrals from schools: 1,487*
- Connections made with families: 80%
- Engaged in services after connection was made: 86%
* Data from August 2023-March 2024, all Shasta County schools
Referrals from schools:
Making a Difference
A high school student came to the Community Connect office to ask for help for her grandma, who was raising her. The Connector connected with the grandmother and provided food, which took stress off their shoulders. The grandmother said, “I am just so grateful for the help you have provided my family. Even if it is just a check-in phone call, it is nice to know that I don’t have to call you every day to know you care about me and my family."
Grieving the unexpected loss of her husband, a young mom was left on her own to keep her family functioning. She was referred to Community Connect for assistance with her child’s disruptive classroom behavior. The grateful mom was eager to work with professionals who could help make her child’s educational experience positive and successful. Community Connect made referrals to some programs that could help mom strengthen her parenting skills. We look forward to watching the young family thrive with the newly acquired skills developed through early intervention!
A single parent of three reached out to Community Connect when she received a shutoff notice from the utility company. The Connector helped the parent find a resource that helped her meet other basic needs so she could use the money she had left to avoid disconnection of the utilities. They also helped the parent apply for a utility discount program to make payments easier moving forward.