Communities In Schools - Bay Area

Communities In Schools is the nation's largest dropout prevention organization. (www.cisba.org)

Founded in 1989 with seed money provided by Space Center Rotary Club and grants from the Texas Workforce Commission and Southwestern Bell Foundation, Communities in Schools-Bay Area, Inc. (CIS Bay Area) has a mission to help Bay Area young people stay in school, successfully learn and prepare for life in the school setting. For the past 20 years, CIS has offered a wide variety of services to at-risk children and their families living in Harris and northern Galveston counties. Through a full-time staff of 18 and 75 community volunteers, Communities in Schools-Bay Area, Inc. currently serves over 1,400 families annually in the Greater Houston area.

Communities in Schools-Bay Area, Inc. (CIS) is an in-school dropout prevention model based on six components that are provided on each CIS campus at no charge to the student or to the students family. In FY 2009, Bay Area CIS staff will provide the following six components as appropriate to each case management student admitted into the program:

• EDUCATIONAL ENHANCEMENT: Tutoring is made available to students on a one-on-one basis or in group settings. Students are also given incentives to excel academically.

• COUNSELING/SUPPORTIVE GUIDANCE: CIS case managers regularly work with students on any issue of concern. Referrals to partnering agencies are made for extensive counseling for both students and their families.

• PRE-EMPLOYMENT TRAINING: Staff deliver pre-employment education to students and guest speakers present career awareness/opportunities in CIS group settings.

• HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: CIS staff network with other social service agencies to provide food, shelter, clothing, health education and other basic life essentials for students and their families.

• PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT: CIS staff encourage parents to be an integral part of their childs development, through parenting classes, home visits and various activities.

• ENRICHMENT: Enriching activities such as field trips and special events are offered throughout the year to enhance each students learning environment. These before and after school groups are provided to aid in self-esteem building. A summer program is also conducted that is both fun and educational.

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Education

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