What's a Community School Coordinator?
The Community School Coordinator works collaboratively with the school principal and other school support staff to design, develop and/or implement Community School programming including: Family and student support services, Health services, Enrichment activities including those that occur during the school day, after school and summer , Family and community engagement activities, and Community sponsorship, partnership, and volunteer infrastructure.
Download the Toolkit
We've created a 2025 Coordinators Appreciation Week toolkit filled with resources to help you highlight the amazing Coordinators you know, as well as spread the word about the role they play in growing the Community School movement.
Take Action
Continue to reach out to your members of Congress to request that they fund Full Service Community Schools at the highest level possible. Congress needs to hear from you that the Community Schools strategy is a comprehensive approach to restructuring and reimagining our public education system so that all students can learn and thrive. Use our tools to tell help tell and share your CS story and examples of the benefits of Community Schools and send that message to your representatives now. Together, we can advance the Community School strategy, by garnering bipartisan support at the local, state, and national levels.
Thanks for a Successful CAW 2025!
Check out these headlines sharing more about the success of the Community School strategy, and the importance of the Coordinator role!
Kent School Services Network celebrates Coordinators Appreciation Week
“Kent School Services Network celebrates Coordinators Appreciation Week, a national movement to honor the work of community school coordinators, with KSSN currently having 49 coordinators working out of 50 schools across 6 districts in Kent County. Guests share their reasons for the celebration.”
Listen to the episode of the Shelley Irwin show here!
See also their KSSN CAW 2025 video.
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Building Trust, Sparking Joy: Amy Chruniak’s Journey as a Community School Director
“When Amy Chruniak stepped into her role as Community School Director at Ford Elementary two years ago, she knew the path ahead would be about more than programs or resources—it would be about trust.
“The first year was really laying the groundwork,” Amy recalls. “Meeting families one-on-one, listening, figuring out what they needed most.”
Read the full blog from United Way of Massachusetts Bay here.
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Stamford school invites Rep. Himes to discuss positive impact of federal grant
“United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut’s Full-Service Community School invited Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) to its school on Monday to highlight the positive impacts of a five-year grant they received. The future of the grant funding is in jeopardy, because school officials said it is “zeroed-out” in next year’s budget.
During his visit, Himes spoke with staff, parents and students to learn more about their personal experience since the grant took effect. he Full-Service Community School, also known as Rippowam Middle School, is facilitated by Stamford Cradle to Career, and is benefiting from the grant alongside Dolan Middle School, also located in Stamford.
The schools are in their third year of a five-year grant. To date, school culture and discipline rates have shown improvement. According to the schools, in-school suspensions have decreased by 69% for the three student populations most likely to receive them.Read the full story from News12 Connecticut here.
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Build the room with families–not for them
“When I first stepped into the role of Community School Coordinator, I was fresh out of college and full of ideas. After working in community schools for two years, I had just transitioned into a new position in my hometown of East Los Angeles. I wanted to prove myself–and more importantly, I wanted to serve the families and caretakers in my community.”
Read the full story Community School Learning Exchange here.
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Van Hollen, Colleagues Introduce Resolution to Designate Community School Coordinators Appreciation Week
“U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) introduced a resolution to designate September 14 through 20, 2025 as Community School Coordinators Appreciation Week to recognize the important role that Community School Coordinators and full-service community schools play in students’ education and well-being. Senator Van Hollen was joined in introducing the resolution by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). Representative Judy Chu (D-Calif.) will introduce companion legislation in the House of Representatives.”
Profile of Community School Coordinators
Learn more about the role of a Coordinator by taking a look at some of our initial findings from the Community Schools Forward Survey: https://bit.ly/countcs
Tips to help you advocate during CAW: