Community School Sustainability

A RESOURCE GUIDE FOR
UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
Community School Sustainability

October 2012

Prepared by:

Iris Hemmerich
Urban Strategies Council

Community School Sustainability

Table of Contents
A Resource Guide for Understanding Community Schools .......................................................................... 2
Updating the Resource Guide ................................................................................................................... 4
Additional Community School Resources ................................................................................................. 4
Our Community School work with Oakland Unified School District ............................................................. 5
Community School Sustainability: Literature Review ................................................................................... 6
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 6
Review ....................................................................................................................................................... 6
1. Sustainability Plan ......................................................................................................................... 6
2. Leveraging Existing Resources for the Future ............................................................................... 7
3. Continued Partnership Development ............................................................................................ 8
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................. 8
1. Challenges ..................................................................................................................................... 8
2. Promising Practices ....................................................................................................................... 8
3. Concluding Remarks ...................................................................................................................... 9
Community School Sustainability: Annotated Bibliography ....................................................................... 10
1. Sustainability Strategies ................................................................................................................... 10
2. Sustaining Community School Partnerships ..................................................................................... 18

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©Urban Strategies Council, October 2012

A Resource Guide for Understanding Community Schools
INTRODUCTION

Urban Strategies Council has collected and reviewed more than 175 evaluations, case studies,
briefs and reports for use by those considering or planning a community school or community
school district. Our intention is to provide interested individuals and stakeholders the
resources they need to better understand the unique structure and core components of
community schools. The promising practices, recommendations, tools and information shared
in this document have been culled from documents representing the last 20 years of research
and documentation of community schools across the United States.

We highlighted 11 content areas that we believe to be the most foundational for understanding
community schools. Within each of the content areas, you will find:

1. A literature review: The literature reviews for each content area are organized
around core questions and provide a synthesis of the most commonly identified
solutions and responses to each question, as well as highlights, promising practices,
challenges and recommendations.

2. An annotated bibliography: We gathered and annotated literature in each of the
content areas to underscore key themes, some of which include: best practices,
exemplary sites, models and tools. The annotations vary by content area in order to
draw attention to the most pertinent information. For example, the Evaluations content
area includes annotations of the evaluation methodology and indicators of success.

The 11 content areas include the following:

1. Community School Characteristics
Provides a general overview of the structure, function, core elements, programs and
services of a community school.

2. Planning and Design
Explores the general planning and design structures for community schools, and
discusses the initial steps and central components of the planning and design process, as
well as strategies for scaling up community schools.

3. Equity Frameworks and Tools
Examines literature and tools that can be adapted to an equity framework for
community schools. We included equity frameworks and tools that explore
disproportionality and the monitoring of disparities and demographic shifts.

2

4. Collaborative Leadership
Addresses how to build, strengthen and expand the collaborative leadership structure at
community schools. Collaborative leadership is a unique governance structure that
brings together community partners and stakeholders to coordinate a range of services
and opportunities for youth, families and the community.

5. Family and Community Engagement
Explores how community and family engagement operates as well as the challenges for
actualizing it at the site level. Family and community engagement is a unique
component of community schools in which the school, families, and community actively
work together to create networks of shared responsibility for student success.

6. Data Collection and Analysis
Addresses the outcomes measured at community schools, methods for collecting data
at community schools, and short and long term indicators.

7. Assessment Tools
Includes tools used to measure outcomes at community schools.

8. Community School Evaluations
Provides evaluations of community school initiatives with special attention paid to
methodology, indicators of success, findings and challenges.

9. Community School Funding
Explores how to leverage revenue streams and allocate resources at community schools.

10. Budget Tools
Includes tools that support the process of budgeting and fiscal mapping.

11. Community School Sustainability
Explores promising practices for creating sustainability plans, partnership development
and leveraging resources for the future.

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UPDATING THE RESOURCE GUIDE

Urban Strategies Council will continue its efforts to update the Resource Guide with the most
current information as it becomes available. If you know of topics or resources that are not
currently included in this guide, please contact Alison Feldman, Education Excellence Program,
at alisonf@urbanstrategies.org. We welcome your ideas and feedback for A Resource Guide for
Understanding Community Schools.

ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL RESOURCES

National:

The Coalition for Community Schools
http://www.communityschools.org/

The National Center for Community Schools (Children’s Aid Society)
http://nationalcenterforcommunityschools.childrensaidsociety.org/

Yale University Center in Child Development and Social Policy
http://www.yale.edu/21c/training.html

Regional:

The Center for Community School Partnerships, UC Davis
http://education.ucdavis.edu/community-school-partnerships

Center for Strategic Community Innovation
http://cscinnovation.org/community-schools-project/about-cscis-community-schools-
project/community-school-initiative-services-coaching-and-ta/’

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Our Community School work with
Oakland Unified School District
Urban Strategies Council has a long history of working with the Oakland Unified School District
(OUSD) to support planning for improved academic achievement. Most recently, we helped
develop and support the implementation of OUSD’s five-year strategic plan, Community
Schools, Thriving Students. Adopted by the Board of Education in June 2011, the plan calls for
building community schools across the district that ensure high-quality instruction; develop
social, emotional and physical health; and create equitable opportunities for learning. Urban
Strategies Council has worked with the school district, community members and other
stakeholders to support this system reform in several ways:

Community Schools Strategic Planning: Urban Strategies Council facilitated six School
Board retreats over a 14-month period to help develop the strategic plan. As part of that
process, the District created 14 task forces to produce recommendations for the plan, with
Urban Strategies Council facilitating one task force and sitting on several others.
Full Service Community Schools Task Force: Urban Strategies Council convened and co-
facilitated the Full Service Community Schools and District Task Force, which created a
structural framework and tools for planning and implementation, and produced a report
with a set of recommendations that formed the foundation of the strategic plan.
Community Engagement in Planning: Urban Strategies Council partnered with the district
to educate and engage more than 900 school and community stakeholders on how
community schools could best serve them.
Planning for Community Schools Leadership Council: Urban Strategies Council has been
working with OUSD’s Department of Family, School and Community Partnerships to lay the
groundwork for building an interagency, cross-sector partnership body that will provide
high-level system oversight and support, and ensure shared responsibility and coordination
of resources towards the vision of healthy, thriving children supported through community
schools.
Convening Workgroups: Urban Strategies Council continues to partner with the District to
convene and facilitate several workgroups developing specific structures, processes, and
practices supporting community school implementation, as well as informing the eventual
work of the Community Schools Leadership Council.
African American Male Achievement Initiative: Urban Strategies Council is a partner in
OUSD’s African American Male Achievement Initiative (AAMAI), a collaboration supporting
efforts to close the achievement gap and improve other key outcomes for African American
males in OUSD. Urban Strategies Council has developed data-based research; explored
promising practices, programs and policies inside and outside the school district; analyzed
the impact of existing system-wide policies; and developed policy recommendations to
improve outcomes in various areas identified by the AAMAI Task Force.
Boys and Men of Color: Urban Strategies Council is the Regional Convener for the Oakland
Boys and Men of Color site, which adopted community schools as a vehicle to improve
health, education and employment outcomes for boys and men of color.
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Community School Sustainability: Literature Review
Introduction

The ability to sustain and scale up community school initiatives ensures that the community
school strategy will leave a lasting impact on the youth, families and communities that it aims
to serve and empower. A successful sustainability plan also has the potential to catalyze future
community school reform efforts by demonstrating how the strategy can permanently nourish
positive and healthy outcomes for youth and their communities. We used three central
research questions to guide the literature review of community school sustainability:

1. Is there an identified sustainability plan?
2. How are existing resources leveraged for the future?
3. Is there a process for continued partnership development?

Published research on community school sustainability from 2000 to 2012 was included as part
of this literature review. While the literature discussed various sustainability strategies, what
seems to be lacking in research and scholarship is a specific strategy for adapting to changing
conditions. The research identified the diversification of partnerships and funding as a way to
mitigate volatile political and economic conditions; however, it failed to identify a concrete
strategy for navigating through constantly evolving circumstances.

Review

1. Sustainability Plan

Although a specific sustainability plan was not identified in the research, key elements and
sustainability strategies were highlighted. The Finance Project Sustainability Framework
outlined the following eight elements of sustainability: (1) vision; (2) results orientation; (3)
strategic financing; (4) broad community support; (5) key champions; (6) adaptability; (7) strong
internal systems; and (8) a sustainability plan1.

According to the Finance Project, a clear vision aids the process of determining what is
sustained, how and when. Results orientation helps measure progress over time as well as
program success and challenges. Strategic financing is the identified mechanism for providing a
stable resource base over time and adaptability is necessary for adjusting to changing social,
economic, and political trends. Broad community support engages the community while key
champions can leverage their power and influence to generate more support. Strong internal
systems, such as fiscal management, information, personnel, and governance, are fundamental

1
The Finance Project. “Sustaining Comprehensive Community Initiatives.” The Finance Project, April 2002. Web.
20 January 2012.
<http://www.financeproject.org/publications/sustaining.pdf>.
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to sustaining operational elements. Finally, the Finance Project encouraged the integration of
all the aforementioned elements into a sustainability plan.

In another piece, the Finance Project highlights the importance of developing an operating
budget. They suggest that community schools calculate relevant cost assumptions (such as the
number of programs or sites operating, what types of services provided, the number of
families, children, and/or youth served) and how often services will be provided. These costs
include both program (start-up and on-going operating costs) and system-wide (coordination
and licensing costs)2 to sustain the initiative.

2. Leveraging Existing Resources for the Future

Community schools need sustainable sources of funding that support their broad organizational
and operational needs, ensure program continuity and attract new partners. The literature
commonly referenced flexible funding as a means for community school leaders to creatively
leverage additional income. Most research iterated partnerships with businesses and
foundations as the most effective means to attract cash and in-kind contributions, leverage
additional funding, provide access to technical expertise, and raise the visibility of community
school programs.

Results-orientation was commonly cited as an effective approach to engage new partners. The
ability to shape the community school strategy around results creates an easier way of
communicating positive outcomes and accomplishments. According to the Finance Project,
good public relations and results visibility in the community have the potential to build
stakeholder support and in doing so, increase the likelihood of program continuance3.

The strategic leveraging of federal government programs, such as Medicaid and Title I funding,
was also explored in multiple research pieces. Community schools can maximize government
health services and program funding by aligning their purpose with that of government
programs4. Additionally, resources can be leveraged for the future by developing creative
strategies to house services in accessible and shared facilities.

Fundraising was identified as another means to raise revenue. Successful fundraising has the
potential to bring in revenue, in-kind support, new volunteers and community partners. It

2
Langford, Barbara Hanson. “Cost Worksheet for Out-of-School Time and Community School Initiatives.” The
Finance Project, September 2002. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://76.12.61.196/publications/costworksheet.pdf>.
3
The Finance Project. “Sustaining Comprehensive Community Initiatives.” The Finance Project, April 2002. Web.
20 January 2012.
4
Bundy, Andrew L, and Victoria Wegene. “Maximizing Medicaid Funding to Support Health and Mental Health
Services for School-Age Children and Youth.” The Finance Project, October 2000. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Brief5_Maximizing_Medicaid.pdf >.
7

appears to be a more difficult method because the resources generated often may not justify
the labor or cost. The success of fundraising is often contingent upon local economic conditions
and may also be affected by competition from other fundraising causes5.

3. Continued Partnership Development

The continued development of strategic partnerships is a powerful mechanism to expand the
capacity of communities and schools. Many literature pieces identified engaged partnerships as
a means to access a range of community assets and ensure responsiveness and accountability.
Professional development training and technical assistance were commonly underscored as
valuable components of continued partnership development. Utilizing tools, such as
worksheets and checklists, was also explored as a practical way to develop and assess
community school partnerships. Some research provided sample checklists to take inventory of
existing programs and services and catalogue the funding sources6. The majority of information
suggested frequent communication of results among partners and the community as the
primary means to build broad support and sustain partnerships.

Conclusion

1. Challenges

It appears that one of the most challenging aspects of sustaining community schools is securing
a stable and long-term revenue stream. While the research addresses the need for long-term
strategic financing, only piecemeal program funding and grants were suggested. Adapting to
changing political and economic conditions will present a significant challenge to community
schools because it requires the constant reevaluation and engagement of different partners
and resources.

2. Promising Practices

There are multiple promising practices around community school sustainability; the most
commonly iterated promising practice being the development of diversified partnerships and
funding. The use of a results-oriented approach to engage community partners and incentivize
policy makers to push community school legislation was also frequently identified as a
promising practice. Furthermore, a collaborative leadership structure that includes a backbone,

5
Anuszkiewicz, Brittany, Nina Salomon, William Schmid, and Roxana Torric. “Finding Resources to Support
Mentoring Programs and Services for Youth.” The Finance Project, November 2008. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Finding_Resources_MentoringPrograms.pdf>.
6
Blank, Martin J. and Barbara Hanson Langford. “Strengthening Partnerships: Community School Assessment
Checklist.” Coalition for Community Schools and the Finance Project, September 2000. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/csassessment.pdf>.

8

intermediary organization was underscored as a promising practice for sustaining community
school initiatives.

3. Concluding Remarks

Planning for sustainability involves building competencies into ongoing planning and program
operations in order to ensure that the initiative has the resources it will need to operate
successfully over time. Continuous resource development will be a crucial factor in sustaining
community schools. The constant reevaluation of resources and political climate will also be an
essential part of sustainability. Moreover, constant reevaluation and improvement of the
community school infrastructure, such as the structure of collaborative leadership and site
coordination, will be necessary in order to sustain and expand community schools throughout
evolving circumstances.

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Community School Sustainability: Annotated Bibliography
1. Sustainability Strategies

Maximizing Medicaid Funding to Support Health and Mental Health Services for School-Age
Children and Youth
Bundy, Andrew L, and Victoria Wegene. The Finance Project, October 2000. Web. 19 December
2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Brief5_Maximizing_Medicaid.pdf
>.

The Finance Project brief explores the various uses of Medicaid funding as a source of revenue
for out-of-school time and community school health and mental health programming. The first
section of the brief explains the background and purpose of the Medicaid program and the
second section discusses the fundamental principles for maximizing Medicaid revenues. There
are four key strategies identified as maximizing health services for school-age children and
youth. The four strategies are:

1. Fee-for-service claiming;
2. Administrative claiming;
3. “Leveraged” funding; and
4. Statewide systems to integrate services and improve outcomes.

The brief also includes case studies of community schools to illustrate how schools have
successfully leveraged Medicaid funding for health programs.

Best practices: see four strategies above and “Financing Strategies” (pgs. 6-16)
Exemplary sites (case studies):
1. Independence School District, Independence, MO
2. New York Public Schools-Children’s Aid Society, New York, NY
3. Family Services and Children’s Mental Health Collaboratives, MN
4. Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles, CA
5. Pasadena Unified School District, Pasadena, CA

Finding Resources to Support Mentoring Programs and Services for Youth
Anuszkiewicz, Brittany, Nina Salomon, William Schmid, and Roxana Torric. The Finance Project,
November 2008. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Finding_Resources_MentoringPr
ograms.pdf>.

The brief outlines three core strategies for financing and sustaining mentoring programs and
services for youth. The three strategies are:

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1. Building partnerships with businesses and foundations;
2. Conducting community fundraising; and
3. Maximizing public revenue through leveraging federal, state and local resources.

Various resources and their purposes are highlighted under each strategy to aid the process of
financing and sustaining mentoring programs and services. Profiles of mentoring initiatives are
also provided to illustrate the strategies in action.

Best practices: See three strategies above
Exemplary sites:
1. Child Welfare League of America (CWLA)
2. 100 Black Men of North Metro
3. Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation
4. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
5. Mentor Duluth
6. Oregon Mentors
7. The Mentoring Partnership of Southwestern Pennsylvania
8. Access to Student Assistance Programs in Reach of Everyone (ASPIRE)

Sustainability Planning: Coalition of Community Schools National Forum
Langford, Barbara. The Finance Project, June 24, 2002. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Sustainability_Planning.pdf>.

The Finance Project PowerPoint explores eight key elements of sustainability. The eight
elements are:

1. Vision;
2. Results orientation;
3. Strategic Financing;
4. Adaptability;
5. Broad community support;
6. Key champions;
7. Strong internal systems; and a
8. Sustainability plan.

Key lessons and next steps are provided at the end of the PowerPoint.

Best practices: See eight elements of sustainability above and the following key lessons:
1. Think broadly
2. Focus on sustainability from the beginning
3. Develop a portfolio of funding resources
4. Remember the long-term process and target resources strategically
5. Balance short-term vs. long-term strategies
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Making the Difference: Research and Practice in Community Schools (Pgs. 49-62)
Blank, Martin J., Atelia Melaville, and Bela P. Shaw. Coalition for Community Schools, Institute
for Educational Leadership, May 2003. Pages 49-61. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/Page/CCSFullReport.pdf>.

Chapter four from “Making the Difference: Research and Practice in Community Schools”
outlines four key elements that undergird successful local efforts to create and sustain
community schools. The four elements are:

1. A motivating vision;
2. Connected learning experiences;
3. Community partnerships; and
4. Strategic organization and financing.

The chapter explains the importance of these four elements in community school initiatives and
provides vignettes of community schools to show them in practice. Moreover, under the
subsection “Strategic organization and financing”, five elements are identified as part of
effective organization and financing strategies. The five elements are:

1. Flexible funding;
2. A community schools coordinator;
3. Schools and all community partners who are willing to share resources;
4. A source of technical assistance; and
5. Adequate and accessible facilities.

Chapter five details the nine aforementioned elements and their role in sustaining successful
community school initiatives.

Best practices: See nine elements above
Exemplary sites:
1. Howe Elementary School, Green Bay, WI
2. North Middle School, Aurora, CO
3. East Hartford High School, East Hartford, CT
4. Northeast Elementary School, Ankeny, IA
5. Elliot Elementary School, Lincoln, NE
6. Schools Uniting Neighborhoods Initiative, Multnomah County, OR
7. Webster Open Magnet School, Minneapolis, MN
8. Marquette Elementary School, Chicago, IL
9. East Elementary School, Kings Mountain, NC
10. Carson High School, Carson, CA
11. Parkway Heights Middle School, South San Francisco, CA

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Sustaining Comprehensive Community Initiatives
The Finance Project. The Finance Project, April 2002. Web. 20 January 2012.

The strategy brief discusses The Finance Project’s eight-part sustainability framework in depth.
It explores each component of the sustainability framework with the intention of helping
policymakers, program developers and other stakeholders identify basic resources and strategic
decisions for sustaining community initiatives. The eight elements of the sustainability
framework are:

1. Vision;
4. Adaptability;
6. Key champions;

The brief targets those who are involved with community development programs, early
childhood programs, youth development programs, out-of-school time programs or any other
type of community-based program that serves the needs of children and families.

Best practices: See eight elements of sustainability above
Exemplary sites:
1. San Diego Unified School District, San Diego, CA
2. The Oregon Commission on Children and Families
3. Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School, Washington, D.C.
4. Early Childhood Alliance of the Family Resource Network, Mercer County, WV
5. The North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC)
6. Maryland After School Opportunity Fund Program (MASOFP)

Doing What Matters: The Bridges to Success Strategy for Building Community Schools (Pgs.
43-51)
Melaville, Atelia. Bridges to Success, January 2004. Pages 43-51. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Doing_What_Matters.pdf>.

Part III of the Bridges to Success (BTS) report is broken down into four main subsections: (1)
Selecting Expansion Sites; (2) Deepening Collaborative Leadership; (3) Developing Staff; and (4)
Developing Financial Strategies. Each subsection explores issues in the sustainability planning
process and provides suggestions and examples from the BTS experience. In the “Developing
Financial Strategies” subsection, the Finance Project’s eight elements of sustainability are
identified as a guiding framework. The eight elements of sustainability include:
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1. Vision;
4. Adaptability;
6. Key champions;

Best practices: See eight elements above
Exemplary sites:
1. Washington Irving Elementary School, Indianapolis, IN
2. George Washington Community School, Indianapolis, IN
3. Vandalia Elementary School, Greensboro, NC
Models:
1. The BTS Model: A Community School Strategy (pgs. 12-14)
2. Appendix A: Site Team as a Coordinating Body (pg. 53)
3. Appendix C: Theory of Bridges to Success (pg. 55)
Tools:
1. Appendix B: School Readiness Assessment (pg. 53)
2. Appendix D: Four Phases of Site Team Development (pg. 56)
3. Appendix F: Community Readiness Assessment (pg. 58)

Financing Community Schools: Leveraging Resources to Support Student Success
Blank, Martin J., Reuben Jacobson , Atelia Melaville, and Sarah S. Pearson. Coalition for
Community Schools, November 2010. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/finance-paper.pdf>.

The report describes how community schools generate resources, partnerships and activities.
Furthermore, it explores the mechanisms community schools use to leverage additional funding
and build their capacity to achieve results. Findings from community school initiatives are
discussed and six recommendations are made based upon the findings. The six
recommendations are:

1. Define and support a community school strategy through laws, regulations and
guidelines;
2. Provide incentives in ESEA and other legislation that move schools and community
partners toward results-driven public/private partnerships;
3. Fund site coordination and site coordinators in support of community schools;
4. Support the work of intermediary organizations that help align and leverage resources
and integrate funding streams to get results;

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5. Promote interdepartmental coordination in support of community schools at the
federal, state, community and district levels; and
6. Fund professional development that enables people working in schools, with
community partners, and in federal and state agencies to learn how community schools
work and how policy can support them.

Best practices: See six strategies above
Exemplary sites:
1. Community Schools Collaboration, Tukwila, WA
2. Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation, Evansville, IN
3. Chicago Public Schools Community Schools Initiative, Chicago, IL
4. Children’s Aid Society Community Schools, New York, NY
5. Sayre University-Assisted Community School, PA
6. SUN Community Schools, Multnomah County, OR
7. Redwood City 2020, Redwood City, CA
Models:
1. Figure 1: How Resources Are Used (IV)
2. Figure 2: Where Resources Come From—Combined Initiatives and Individual Sites
(IV)
3. Figure 3: Communities Where Learning Happens (pg. 3)
4. Community Schools Logic Model (pg. 5)
5. Figure 7: Rationale for Diversification (pg. 10)
6. Figure 8: Community School Collaborative Leadership Framework (pg. 12)
Tools: Appendix B: Data Collection Matrix (pg. 38)

Using CCDF to Finance Out-of-School Time and Community School Initiatives
Deich, Sharon, Erika Bryant, and Elisabeth Wright. The Finance Project, August 2001. Web. 20
January 2012.
<http://www.financeproject.org/publications/Brief7.pdf>.

The strategy brief provides an overview of the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), its
requirements, and considerations for its use. Several strategies are highlighted for using CCDF
funds and examples of innovative approaches to support out-of-school time and community
school initiatives are provided. CCDF was authorized by the Personal Responsibility and Work
Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to help low-income families, families receiving
temporary public assistance, and those transitioning from public assistance obtain child care so
they can work or attend education or training programs. Four strategies to use CCDF for out-of-
school time and community school initiatives are highlighted and include:

1. Accessing subsidies for eligible program participants;
2. Becoming a CCDF contracted provider;
3. Using CCDF to enhance the quality of programs; and
4. Using CCDF to create systems of out-of-school time care.
15

Best practices: See four strategies above
Exemplary sites:
1. Jackson Mann Community Center, MA
2. Child Care Services Office, SD

Cost Worksheet for Out-of-School Time and Community School Initiatives
Langford, Barbara Hanson. The Finance Project, September 2002. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://76.12.61.196/publications/costworksheet.pdf>.

The “Cost Worksheet for Out-of-Time and Community School Initiatives” describes how to
develop an operating budget for community schools and provides sample worksheets to aid the
process. In order to make the initial case to potential funders, the report suggests the school
document its current financial status and develop realistic financial projections. The report
identifies two main cost areas: program costs and system-wide infrastructure costs.

Tools: Operating budget worksheets

Creating Dedicated Local and State Revenue Sources for Youth Programs
Sherman, Rachel H., Sharon G. Deich and Barbara Hanson Langford. The Finance Project,
January 2007. Web. 20 March 2012.
<http://www.financeproject.org/publications/Dedicated_Local_Sources_PM.pdf>.

The brief highlights six strategies to create dedicated revenue sources for youth programs and
services that policymakers, intermediary organizations, and youth advocates can implement at
the state, city, and/or county levels. The six strategies for creating dedicated local revenue
sources for youth programs are:

1. Special taxing districts;
2. Special taxes and levies;
3. Guaranteed expenditure minimums;
4. Fees and narrowly based taxes;
5. Income tax checkoffs; and
6. Children’s trust funds.

It describes the critical features of each strategy and highlights applications of each strategy.
The brief also discusses considerations for the use of each strategy, including the
appropriateness of various approaches; the likely stability and adequacy of revenues generated;
the extent to which the strategy can be used to improve the coordination of resources; and
considerations regarding political feasibility.

Best practices: See six strategies above
16

Exemplary sites (case studies):
1. Crime Control Prevention District, Fort Worth, TX
2. Children’s Services Councils, FL
3. FUTURE, Little Rock, AK
4. Families and Education Levy, WA
5. Fund 80, Wautoma, WI
6. Children’s Investment Fund, Portland, OR
7. Proposition 49, CA
8. Lottery for Education and Afterschool Programs, TN
9. Park District Youth Program License Plates, IL
10. Increase in Cigarette Taxes, SD
11. 4H Checkoff, AL
12. Fund for a Healthy Maine, ME
13. North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund, NC

Adding It Up: A Guide for Mapping Public Resources for Children, Youth and Families
Pittman, Karen, Margaret Flynn-Kahn, Thaddeus Ferber and Elizabeth Gains. The Forum for
Youth Investment and the Finance Project, June 2006. Web. 20 May 2012.
<http://www.financeproject.org/publications/AddingItUpGuide.pdf>.

The document describes how to plan, develop and use a Children, Youth and Families (CYF)
resource map. A CYF resource map is generally used to balance a portfolio of investments,
coordinate supports and services, maximize funding opportunities and advocate for additional
investments. In the planning section, the document walks the reader through a step by step
process of determining the reasons for creating a CYF resource map, partnerships and roles,
timelines, information to include, and how the map and data analyses will be produced. The
following section discusses the ways in which CYF resource maps can be used to inform change.
In the last section, data collection is explored and specific data collection strategies are laid out.

Models:
1. ‘Using the Ready by 21 Framework to Organize your Analysis’ Spreadsheet (pg. 30)
Tools:
1. ‘Who Should be Involved?’ Spreadsheet (pg. 11)
2. ‘What Information Do You Want?’ Survey (pg. 18)
3. Sample Funding Flow Map (pg. 37)
4. Data Collection Strategies (pg. 40)
5. Example 1: Solano County Data Table (pg. 44)
6. Example 2: Kentucky Youth Development Partnership Policy Assessment Project
Survey (pgs. 45-46)
7. Example 3: San Francisco Children’s Services Allocation Plan – Instruction Memo and
Spreadsheet (pgs. 47-49)

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2. Sustaining Community School Partnerships

Strengthening Partnerships: Community School Assessment Checklist
Blank, Martin J. and Barbara Hanson Langford. “Coalition for Community Schools and the
Finance Project, September 2000. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/csassessment.pdf>.

The assessment tool contains a series of checklists to aid school and community leaders in
creating and/or strengthening community school partnerships. The “Community School
Partnership Assessment” checklist helps assess the development of the community school
partnership. The “Community School Program and Service Assessment” checklist helps take
inventory of existing programs and services in or connected to your school that support
children, youth, families, and other community residents. The “Community School Funding
Source Assessment” checklist helps to catalogue the funding sources that support these
programs and services.

Tools: Three assessment checklists for strengthening community school partnerships

Schools and Community Initiative: Community Assessment Framework
Public Education Network. Public Education Network, 2011. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://www.publiceducation.org/sc_commassess_indicators.asp>.

The article provides sample measures for five core areas of school-community partnerships.
The five core areas include: (1) quality education; (2) family supports; (3) child and youth
development; (4) family and community engagement; and (5) community development. It is
meant to serve as an initial guide for school-community partnerships in order to aid the process
of developing a set of appropriate local indicators.

Tools: Sample Community Assessment Framework

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Community School Sustainability

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