Relationships that Transform Lives - CIS Chatham
Last year, 70% of the students we worked with improved their school attendance.
That’s a number worth celebrating. But numbers alone don’t tell the real story.
Behind every improved attendance record is something much more powerful: a transformative relationship.
That’s what makes the Communities In Schools model different. We don’t simply run programs in schools. We become part of the school community.
CIS places Student Support Specialists directly inside schools – trusted adults whose job is simple, but life-changing: identify what’s standing in the way of a student’s success and connect them with the right support.
- Sometimes that means tutoring or a reading buddy.
- Sometimes it’s help accessing food or stable housing.
- Sometimes it’s connecting a student to mental health care.
And sometimes it’s simply being the one adult who refuses to give up on them.
Alongside our coordinators, more than 75 volunteers show up each year to mentor, tutor, and encourage students – creating a network of care that surrounds young people with the support they deserve.
Because attendance doesn’t improve through policies alone. It improves when a student knows someone is paying attention… someone cares… and someone will be there tomorrow.
That’s the heart of this work.
It’s personalized. Preventative. Rooted in trust.
And it’s why Communities In Schools continues to change the trajectory of students’ lives – one relationship at a time.
Thank you for being part of that story.
*One caring adult can change a student’s path. If you are interested in being part of a student’s journey to success, we would love to hear from you. Learn more here.
First published on cischatham.org
