CBOs: Building Strong Partnerships July 2008 Office of Youth Development Integrated Service Center

2 What is a CBO ? CBO = Community Based Organization An agency that provides services, resources and programs to children and families in a neighborhood/community. For our purpose, they also provide resources to school staff. Some CBOs focus on a specific area while some CBOs provide services to a broader area.

3 The Importance of CBOs Partnering with a community based organization has many benefits:  Partnerships enrich the school culture  Partnerships allow schools to provide additional services without over- extending resources  Partnerships provide alternative and creative perspectives on school vision  Partnerships provide more opportunities and create an environment fit for student engagement and participation  Partnerships promote children’s learning and development in ways that prepare them for productive adulthood  Partnerships formalize collaborative efforts toward a collective goal  Partnerships enhance neighborhood resources

4 CBO Funding Streams Supplemental Educational Services (SES) Supplemental Educational Services (SES) provides extra academic help in reading, language arts, and mathematics, free-of-charge to certain students outside the regular school day – before or after school, on weekends or online. Programs are offered in students’ own homes, schools, community centers and provider centers. Extended School Day / School Violence Prevention The primary purpose for these funds is to support the efforts of school districts with high needs and to ultimately bring all students to higher learning standards. The grantees consist of: community school districts, alternative schools and community based organizations.

5 CBO Funding Streams Out-of-School Time (OST) The DYCD Out-of-School Time (OST) Programs for Youth is the largest after school initiative in the nation. The Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) releases the RFP as part of a Mayoral initiative to create a comprehensive system for OST programs. OST programs offer a balanced mix of academic support, sports and recreational activities, as well as arts and cultural experiences. 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC) The 21st CCLC program supports after school programs and other extended learning opportunities for students and community members. CBOs provide academic enrichment and positive youth development opportunities to students, as well as family literacy and other educational programs for families of these students.

6 CBO Funding Streams Attendance Improvement / Drop Out Prevention (AIDP) AIDP provides students that identify as having attendance and academic problems with a variety of services including counseling, attendance outreach, alternative learning strategies, educational enrichment, and case management. United Way provides AIDP services during the regular school day and in the after school hours. United Way currently contracts with 150 CBOs providing AIDP services to over 13,000 students throughout the city. Beacons Beacons provide engaging, appropriately structured activities in the hours following the school day. These activities establish opportunities for empowerment and skill building, development of sound character and positive social norms, and integration of family, school and community supports.

7 What makes up the Community? Church Hospital Clinic School “Small” Stores (local bodega, “mom & pop” store, “corner store”) “Big” Stores (Macy’s, Nine West, Foot Locker) Synagogue College Mosque Senior Center Community and Recreation Center

8 What makes up the Community? Police Station Fire Station Fast Food “Joints” (McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s) Tenant and Block Association Gym / Health Center Community Based Organizations Park Bookstore Museum Bank Post Office Cultural Centers

9 How you can begin to build partnerships & collaborations?  Go out into the neighborhood and get to know your community  Use the community partners to get the word out about your school Example: >Parent-Teacher Conference is the 5 th of January. >Post flyers in your local stores, gym/health club, clinic, hospital & recreation center.

10 Involving the community  Get tickets from movie theater and use as an incentive (i.e. perfect attendance)  Get gift certificates and coupons to reward positive behavior  Peer tutors from local High Schools, Colleges and Universities  Find out if any community businesses or institutions need interns  Ask faith based institutions to help “get the word out” about things going on in your school and in the system  Use message boards

11 Best Practices in Effective Partnership  Clearly Defined Purpose of Collaboration Collaboration is the key to successful partnerships. Both parties should clearly define what they hope to accomplish together. Articulations from each collaborator about what they hope to gain and why they think the partnership exists are crucial. Defining the purpose and the ways in which both partners can benefit from the collaborations is a key component to the initial meeting.  Recognizing and Respecting Differences It is crucial that the initial meeting addresses the importance of recognizing that the school and CBO will have different philosophies, roles, and relationships to children and the community at large. Both the school and the CBO will have their own approach, language and beliefs that are equally valuable and should be addressed in the beginning. The school and the CBO should be clear about the roles that each partner performs on a daily basis.

12 Best Practices in Effective Partnership  Mutual Commitment It is imperative that the CBO and school have an understanding of their commitment to the partnerships and the ways in which the collaboration benefits both parties. That is, the school can begin to incorporate the CBO into their school philosophy and community, and the CBO can commit to the nature of their mission and the ways in which it reflects a dedication to the school environment.  Flexibility Being flexible and open to new concepts helps prevent services from becoming fragmented and overlapping. It is also important that CBOs are flexible enough to work well with other partnering CBOs in the school.

13 Best Practices in Effective Partnership  Evaluation of Program Progress and Effectiveness As partners, it is imperative that services and relationships are continuously monitored to help school and CBO maintain focus, improve effectiveness and accountability, ensure parent and participant satisfaction and identify changes for improvements. Data may include, but is not limited to the following: academic performance, attendance records, school satisfaction, behavioral improvement, etc. ________________________________________________ Please visit the Community Partners link on the NYC DOE homepage ( to get more information on developing and sustaining CBO partnerships.

14 FOR MORE INFORMATION Paul Forbes, Youth Development Manager/CBO Liaison Serge St. Leger, Jr., Grants Manager