FAQs on the Center

How did the Center get started?

The Children’s Aid Society launched its first community school in the Washington Heights section of New York City in 1992. As the initiative in New York City grew (to 20 elementary, middle and high schools presently), so did interest in our model from education and community leaders around the country and globe. In response to the increased demand for information and advice about community schools, Children’s Aid created the National Center for Community Schools in 1994. Since then, we have facilitated the development of over 150 initiatives and 15,000 community schools nationally and internationally. For more on the Children’s Aid Society’s and the Center’s history, click here.

What services does the Center provide?

The Center offers technical assistance in all aspects of designing, implementing and sustaining community schools to meet the unique needs and strengths of individual communities and larger systems of schools. We provide individualized on- and off-site consultation, carefully designed study visits to our New York City schools, presentations on multiple aspects of community schools, professional development activities, planning facilitation, and publications and tools to our clients. Read more about our services.

What is the relationship between the National Center for Community Schools and the Coalition for Community Schools?

Both leaders in the field, the Center and the Coalition regularly partner to advance the work of community schools nationally. The Children's Aid Society helped to found the Coalition in 1997 and, since that time, we have served on the Coalition's Steering Committee and on affinity groups such as the Urban Network. The Center is an active participant in the Coalition's national advocacy work and the Coalition regularly refers interested parties to the National Center for Community Schools for capacity-building assistance.

Who are the Center’s clients?

We work with many different types of clients: individual schools, district administrators, funders, education reform leaders, community organizations, intermediaries, parent associations, policy makers, universities, research centers and others. Because the community school strategy at its core is about integrating and coordinating multiple partners and resources, we make ourselves available to and take into consideration the needs of all of an initiative’s stakeholders. Learn more about our clients.

Will the Center operate our community school?

Except for our existing schools in New York City, we don’t directly operate any community schools. Instead, we work with you and your community to build your local capacity and knowledge base. The Center draws on our experiences operating schools in New York City and providing technical assistance nationally and internationally and translates that experience into tools, materials and other useful services. In most cases, we help schools and initiatives identify and/or build the capacity of local organizations to play the role of “lead partner” and be responsible for coordinating the community school in close partnership with school leaders.

How can we get started? What do your services cost?

Our relationship with clients typically starts with an initial consultation that explores the client’s goals, challenges and opportunities. After this initial diagnostic assessment, we outline a plan of action that is tailored to the client’s needs and available resources. Because community schools is a strategy, not a program, most of our clients take a long-term approach to their reform efforts and engage our services over an extended period of time. We serve as a “thinking partner” with our clients and bring knowledge and concrete tools from our own experience on the ground in New York City as well as from our 15 years of experience helping colleagues around the country (and world). Long-term and short-term services are available on a contractual basis. To request any of our services, including scheduling a visit to one of our schools in New York, click here.

What are the benefits of becoming a registered user of the website?

In addition to being able to download additional documents on our web site, registered users are signed up to receive our e-newsletter, Partnership Press, a quarterly publication of updates and analyses about community schools in New York, the country and beyond. Become a registered user today.