Local Services

Circumstances and barriers to student success vary widely across communities. Our localized approach enables us to identify the unique needs within our community and leverage resources to make a meaningful difference in the lives of young people.

Across our community, needs and risk factors differ for each school, family, and individual student. CISP site coordinators are responsible for executing the CIS School Support Plan and addressing the needs of the student population in alignment with school leadership priorities. Each site coordinator works within the school alongside principals, teachers, and other student support personnel to build community partnerships that bring essential resources into the school and remove barriers to learning.

To meet these needs, CISP school-based site coordinators implement the following supports:

  • Collaborate with school support teams and leadership to identify students in need of assistance.
  • Coordinate partners and service providers to address potential sources of student dropout.
  • Facilitate supports that improve school-wide climate and culture.
  • Case manage 5–10% of the student population, depending on school size.

Our Services in Schools

Case Management

School-based site coordinators empower students to stay in school through individualized access to needed resources, and ongoing encouragement and guidance to build confidence to reach their potential and achieve their dreams.

box of schools supplies donated to Communities In Schools of Peninsula

Basic Needs and School Supplies

During CISP's Annual School Supply Drive every Fall, we gather new donated and purchased school supplies for students. CISP knows how school supply costs add up, so we make sure we always have a store room full for students that need a few more things to meet personal and classroom requirements. We are also equipped to give out hygiene products and healthy snacks to help kids get through the day.

Boots on the Ground

People always ask, "What does a Communities In Schools of Peninsula (CISP) Site Coordinator do?" The day in the life of a Site Coordinator is never the same. One minute they are planning a parent information night right after getting off the phone with a potential volunteer to help kids with reading, then heading to a weekly meeting with the counseling staff, but on the way they are stopped by a teacher who needs a binder for the new student who arrived that morning. Each day is different, rarely predictable, but it is rewarding to know that community resources are being tapped into and utilized by the students and families who need them.
Mentors

Mentoring Our Student to Success

In-school and after-school academic mentoring is offered at 15 schools within the Peninsula and South Kitsap School Districts. CISP Program and/or Site Coordinators run the programs for students who need a little extra help with reading and/or math at the primary level, and multiple subjects at the secondary level. CISP volunteer mentors are trained and paired with students, and the one-on-one attention helps students make dramatic academic gains!
Summer Kids

Preventing the Summer Slide

Research shows that if kids receive three weeks of ongoing reading assistance during the summer months, they will be less likely to lose the momentum they gained during the school year. Last summer, CISP hosted four summer school programs, and each child received books at the end of the series to keep for their own! Thanks to partnerships with Children’s Home Society and FoodBackpacks4Kids, enrichment activities and nutritious lunches made the reading programs extra special!

Social Emotional Learning

Communities In Schools of Peninsula (CISP) Site Coordinators teach critical social competencies necessary for academic and life success such as: resiliency, self-management, and responsible decision-making skills. Recess groups, mindfulness activities, ‘Girls on the Run,’ calm rooms, and mentoring are a few strategies that they use with the students that they serve to help them gain skills. Through these experiences, the young people learn to manage emotions, control impulses, and set goals.

Tutors with Tails

As a drop-out prevention organization, Communities In Schools of Peninsula (CISP) is uniquely committed to education and preparedness. Our therapy dog teams are passionate about supporting literacy, and a therapy dog team provides an engaging, non-judgmental, creative opportunity for all students to get excited about building their skills.