Funders to approach for Communities in School of Whatcom Skagit

The mission of communities in schools of whatcom skagit is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. As a Washington state not-for-profit organization dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion in public education, we serve students through our unique integrated student support (iss) model. The focus of that model is on assisting children and youth (k-12) through multi-tiered support systems that improve attendance and elicit student resilience, school belonging, and parent engagement. Despite the many barriers created by the covid-19 pandemic, communities in schools of whatcom skagit differentiated itself from other organizations supporting vulnerable and often isolated and/or marginalized youth by providing services during school hours, and by coordinating a comprehensive range of basic needs and other vital, mental health services for each and every student referred to the program. The key innovative services provided were delivered through a blend of in-person, and "tele-mentoring or "tele-case management" platforms. 15 full-time site coordinators were empowered with technology support and were placed inside 15 public schools to work in partnership with school administrators, counselors, teachers, and support staff in connecting students and families to a coalition of champions that provided a vast array of essential community resources and services. The investments made by local, regional, and state champions yielded thousands of dollars that were funneled straight into all these schools' sites, and directly into the economies of the families who benefitted from the services. Districts understand that by partnering with communities in schools of whatcom-skagit teachers can focus on teaching and students can focus on learning as the school creates a joyful learning environment where every child's readiness to learn is sustained or amplified by a network of caring adults who will identify and address their needs along the way to high school graduation and…