Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN)

In June 1998, the Sponsor Group of the Community Building Initiative decided to develop a strategy to support local communities and schools. The Community Building Initiative is a partnership between Multnomah County, the City of Portland, the City of Gresham, the State of Oregon, and the school districts to work together to develop a long-term strategy for extending the school day and coordinating services more efficiently in the cities' and County's public school districts. The initiative aims to:

• Help children succeed academically and socially, and develop an ethic of service
• Increase parents' involvement in schools
• Support and strengthen parents, families and community residents
• Leverage the sharing of public assets through the expanded use of schools
• Partner resources to achieve a better, more comprehensive and coordinated delivery of services (educational, recreational, social and health services) for all community residents

There are three broad goals of the SUN community school model. The first and top priority will be educational success for children. Schools will take the lead on this priority with the other partners playing a supportive role.

The second goal is to provide a social and health service support system that will assist in supporting children and their families so that each child can be successful in school and in the community. The County, the Department of Human Resources and non-profits experienced with community-based social services will take a lead role in this area.

The third goal is to provide enrichment and recreational opportunities that will connect the curriculum of the school and after school activities for the students. It will also provide recreational and educational programs for parents and adults in the neighborhood. By extending the school day and the number of hours a school is used and open, a school can become a community center. It can then serve as a community-gathering place for any number of services and activities. The City of Portland and Portland Parks & Recreation, the City of Gresham and Gresham Parks and Recreation, and youth programming agencies will take the lead in enrichment and recreational opportunities.