Personal tools
Kids can't learn if they have a toothache,
can't see the blackboard, or are hungry.
YOU CAN HELP!
mentor with kid

 

Change a life...
become a mentor

The single most important thing that determines whether a child makes it or not is the involvement of a caring adult. You can be that adult with Communities In Schools.

Volunteer just one hour a week to help a young person read better or become more proficient in math.

One hour, once a week, at a local school.

Click Here, or call us at

(253) 884-5733

to set up a visit to learn more.

 

Mailing address:
P.O. Box 684
Vaughn, WA 98394

 


 
Document Actions
  • Email this page
  • Print this
You are here: Home → FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Communities In Schools different from other programs that help kids succeed in school?

Communities In Schools is America’s leading dropout prevention organization.  Named by Worth magazine as the “non-profit organization most likely to change the world,” we are set apart by how we deliver our programs and services by bringing them INTO the schools.  The “I” is capitalized in our name for a reason because it is the model that all CIS affiliates adhere to.

:: top of page ::

How is CISP funded?

Communities In Schools of Peninsula, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is privately and publicly funded through a variety of corporate gifts, individual donations, special events, Pierce County funds, and foundation grants.

:: top of page ::

Are CISP programs and services available to the entire student body, regardless of income?

Yes, all of CISP’s programs and services are free of charge. Since it is our mission to help kids stay in school and achieve in life, we do not turn away students in need of help.

:: top of page ::

What are CISP's guiding principles?

CIS Founder Bill Milliken states “Programs don’t change lives, relationships do.”  As a national organization, our programs adhere to what we call the five basics.  They are:

  • A personal one-on-one relationship with a caring adult
  • A safe place to learn and grow
  • A healthy start and a healthy future
  • A marketable skill to use upon graduation
  • A chance to give back to peers and community

:: top of page ::

How is the exchange of confidential information between agencies, schools and CISP handled?

Schools and agencies involved make these decisions and have them written in a detailed memorandum of understanding with CISP.  Generally, schools refer students to services based on their own records.  Likewise, CISP maintains its policy on confidentiality when working with individual students while sharing aggregate information on services rendered and outcomes achieved.

:: top of page ::

What are the benefits of belonging to the CIS National network?

Encompassing a network of 181 local affiliates serving nearly 1.3 million students in 25 states and D.C., CIS staff and volunteers have unlimited resources at their fingertips.  Connected by a national data management and information sharing system, best practices from around the nation are shared to have the biggest impact on the lives of students.

:: top of page ::

What data does CISP have to show the effectiveness of their program delivery model?

Communities In Schools recently released the results of a five-year comprehensive longitudinal evaluation conducted by one of the nation’s foremost social science evaluation firms.  After five years of detailed evaluation underwritten by The Atlantic Philanthropies—comparing the results to over 1,600 studies screened by the Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse—the evaluation concluded that the Communities In Schools model resulted in the strongest reduction in dropout rates of any existing fully scaled dropout prevention program that has been evaluated; that Communities In Schools is unique in having an effect on both reducing dropout rates and increasing graduation rates; and that the Communities In Schools model is effective across states, school settings, grade levels and student ethnicities.  Also, analyses indicated that the more fully and carefully the model is implemented, the stronger the effects.

:: top of page ::

Donate Online