Services Offered

Since support programs at each school are specifically tailored to the needs of the population it serves, each Community School is unique. Before each school adopts the Community School model, Little Rock's Community Schools team conducts a needs assessment via surveys and focus groups with families, school staff, and community members. This needs assessment helps to identify key priorities and need areas, guiding the Community School team in identifying appropriate programming. Each school's Community School Coordinator works with school staff, district staff, and the city to identify and implement support programming specifically designed to meet the needs of students and families.

This year, many families and school staff across all four schools identified healthcare, internet and technology, food resources, and academic support as need areas. To address food needs, schools opened food pantries for families, held monthly community cafes, distributed food boxes, and planted school gardens in greenhouses. Some schools with particular healthcare needs opened school-based family healthcare clinics with primary care and behavioral health services. To meet the needs of students and families distance-learning, schools distributed Chromebooks and WiFi hotspots. When students returned to in-person classes, schools began offering after-school services and tutoring.