How Schools & Communities are Working Together to Make that Happen by Sally Kosnick & Marylouise Kuti New Mexico Graduation, Reality And Dual-role Skills (NM GRADS)

The NM GRADS System is funded by the NM Legislature & through A US Dept of HHS OAH PAF Grant administered & overseen by the NMPED HHS/OAH PAF Grant Funder NM GRADS Sub-grantee, legislative funding recipient Instructional Funding to School Districts Funding from NM Legislation Grant funding to school districts Funding from NMPED grant funding NMPED PAF Grantee GRADS+ Collaborative Partners Partners for GRADS+ NM Legislature Legislative Funding

 In-class, for credit instruction by a NMPED licensed secondary teacher  10 GRADS competencies aligned with performance standards & benchmarks in health education and FACS  Advisory Committee  Drop-out recruitment strategies & implementation  Case Management  9 formalized component model  Implements a coordinated approach  Culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate  District compliance with Title IX

19 On-Site Child Development Centers Licensed through NM CYFD Staff are licensed COS-P parent educators 16 School Based Health Centers (SBHC) Best Practices: Dual Referrals, Program Collaboration, Young Father Outreach, Medicaid Rewards Programs

 Case Managers Home visiting, agency linkage, data collection & entry  Fatherhood Mentors Host groups utilizing 24/7 Dad curriculum, work with mothers & fathers alike, organize events for fathers to engage with their children  Early Childhood & Infant Mental Health Circle of Security Parent groups in school and CDC  College & Career Readiness Next step plan, field trips, FASFA support, career portfolio

 Student-Centered Approach  School & Community Outreach  Intake, Assessment & Service Plan  School & Community Resource Team  Continuum of Services  Formalized Referral Process  Service Coordination  Staff training and Professional Development  Continuous Quality Improvement

 Includes GRADS staff, CDC Director, GRADS student/family, SBHC representative, Fatherhood Mentor and additional partners  Works to ensure GRADS enrolled students are receiving access to a continuum of services  Confidentiality Agreements following HIPAA & FERPA

Intake & Assessment  Enrollment & Exit form  Demographics, delivery/child info, services being received  Student Needs Questionnaire (SNQ)  Needs are identified, assessed and linked to resources with identified priority  Agency Linkage Form (ALF)  Formalized referral process to identify need, refer for service and follow up on status/receipt of service

 Identify organizations within communities already providing services & support  Utilize available funding to contract with these agencies  Attend inter-agency organizational capacity building meetings

 Health Care Medical home, prenatal care, reproductive/family planning, primary care, dental care, immunizations  Behavioral Health Care Postpartum depression screening, counseling, crisis intervention, TDV, alcohol/substance abuse  Children’s Services Preventative care, ECI, developmental screenings  Additional Services CCR, Employment Assistance, Transportation, Medicaid, TANF/SNAP, HIS, WIC, Homeless Assistance, Legal Assistance, Religious Support, Food pantries

 NMPED  Alliance for School Based Health Centers  NM Attorney General’s Office  Pegasus Legal Services  UNM/CASSA- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness & Training  Parents as Teachers, First Born, Healthy Start, Early Head Start (home visiting programs)  NM Dept of Workforce Solutions  NM DOH

“GRADS helped me understand that being a teen parent wasn’t the end of the world. They helped me keep moving forward to finish high school. Ms. Dutchover encourage me to go to UNMVC. GRADS also provided me with daycare for my son. I am grateful that the GRADS program was available to me because I learned to set goals and not give up.” ~Brissa Moreno-Iturralde, Century HS, Los Lunas, NM