CIS Chatham Youth F.I.R.S.T.

(Finding Integrated Resources & Supports Together) is an integrated Student Supports intervention program that mitigates youth health and social risk factors to promote improved literacy and family-school engagement for students in kindergarten to eighth grade with the highest risks for underachievement due to poverty and instability.

This new service will not be eliminating any existing services but will instead extend our CIS Mentoring and Lunch Buddy program by offering more comprehensive supports for youth not served in our three traditional CIS model programs at Chatham Middle School, Virginia Cross Elementary, and Siler City Elementary. These students may be matched with mentors or lunch buddies but will also be able to benefit from the supports offered by a traditional school site program.

By extending our services through Youth FIRST, CIS CC will be bringing our Integrated Student Supports (ISS) model to more of Chatham County's most vulnerable elementary and middle school students who need individualized supports for healthy development and school success.

The Student Support Specialist will provide case-managed support services to referred children and youth using the same protocols and methods that guide the evidence-based work of CIS SSSs embedded in specific school sites. The SSS will accomplish this through: facilitating the child or family access to a wide range of supports offered by public and nonprofit organizations such as: placement with a school volunteer (Lunch Buddy), a community-based Mentor, or Tutor; basic needs; mental and physical health resources; academic assistance or advocacy with school officials; truancy court advocacy; social emotional learning enrichment.