Communities In Schools helps students stay in school and make the right choices by connecting schools with needed community resources.  By bringing resources, services, parents, and volunteers into schools, we create a community of caring adults who work hand in hand with educators.  The result:  Teachers are free to teach and students can concentrate on learning.

Communities In Schools is the nation’s largest stay in school network.

CIS recognizes that all children need and deserve five basic life tools

• A personal, one-on-one relationship with a caring adult
• A safe place to learn and grow
• A healthy start and a healthy future
• A marketable skill to use upon graduation
• A chance to give back to peers and community

To champion the connection of needed community resources with schools to help young people successfully learn, stay in school, and prepare for life.

CIS of Aurora creates partnerships in educational environments that adapt to the needs of the students.

CIS connects young people with services in a variety of ways:  In some schools, services are made available to all students and their families.  In other schools, CIS connects services with particular students in need, either on a one-time basis or as part of a carefully monitored case management system.  CIS also brings community resources to students and families through after-school programs.

Communities In Schools delivers two levels of direct service to students:

  Level One-Widely accessible services

  Level Two-Targeted and sustained services

Level One

These are resources and services that are widely accessible to any student at a CIS site.  They are short-term interventions with durations of a few hours or days.  They are provided or connected on an as-needed or as-available basis.  Students do not need to be enrolled in a CIS initiative to benefit from such resources and services but simply need to be a member of the school population at large.  Some examples of Level One resources or services include providing clothing or school supplies, assemblies, events, career fairs, field trips, health screenings and prevention educational seminars.

Level Two

Unlike Level One, which may benefit virtually any student in a school, Level Two resources and services are provided through well-defined CIS initiatives targeted for students and/or families with long-term needs.  These initiatives typically include some type of enrollment or assignment procedures.  They are sustained interventions with durations of several weeks, months or an entire year.  Level Two services are usually designed to achieve one or more tracked outcomes such as improved academic performance, attendance or behavior.  These outcomes are chosen based on a variety of assessments and teacher recommendations.  Examples of such interventions include tutoring, mentoring, literacy skills, case management, individual counseling, before—and after-school programs, community service and enrollment in an “academy” environment.