Community Partners Breakfast
In March, the Albemarle Foundation for Education (AFE) and Albemarle County Public Schools (ACPS) co-hosted a Community Partners Breakfast to highlight how Communities in Schools (CIS) supports ACPS in its efforts to address the challenges of absenteeism, meeting basic and essential needs, and providing mental health support for ACPS students.
Atalaya Sergi, the Executive Director of AFE, planned the event with the goal of sharing how the CIS model is tangibly supporting students. Various professionals spoke about the the challenges ACPS students face:
Chronic absenteeism has a strong negative impact on learning, and exacerbates existing racial and economic achievement gaps (learn more). The relationship between educators, students, and their caregivers is among the most important factors in reducing absenteeism (learn more).
Students experiencing homelessness, which has become more prevalent in Albemarle County, need support to avoid negative academic impacts. Helping families access community services and supporting them with basic and essential needs, transportation, counseling, and advocacy contributes to students’ overall success during a difficult time.
Mental health can make a significant difference in students’ progress academically and socially, underscoring the importance of connecting students with mental health resources at school and in the broader community. The number of referrals from ACPS to experts such as social workers, substance abuse counselors, and therapists has increased significantly from the 2023-24 to 2024-25 school year.
CIS initiatives aim to break down barriers that isolate schools from each other and the community at large. The CIS model operates by placing full-time representatives in ACPS schools to recognize challenges, provide customized support to meet the students’ needs, and promote teamwork between the school and community to address challenges. Initiatives range from school-wide, to group-level, to one-on-one relationships.
For example, the school-wide Biz Kids Entrepreneurship Program at Journey Middle School teaches students the fundamentals of entrepreneurship by developing business plans, creating product prototypes, and pitching their ideas to local judges. The winning team earns the opportunity to operate a booth at the Charlottesville Farmers Market, giving students a chance to apply classroom learning in a real-world setting while establishing ties with the broader community. The program fosters confidence, resilience, and future career readiness, boosting engagement and well-being.
Another CIS initiative in action is Literacy Leaders, which pairs a student tutor from Albemarle County High School with a mentee attending Greer Elementary School. The pair meets weekly after school at the local Boys & Girls Club to work on the mentee’s reading skills and confidence. Additionally, the program promotes attendance by fostering one-on-one relationships that hold the pair accountable for being present on tutoring days. By working across schools and integrating community support from the Boys & Girls Club, CIS simultaneously targets the challenges of SOL scores and absenteeism. Principal Damean Barfield of Albemarle High School spoke on the success of the CIS model in his school, remarking how representatives’ collaboration with teachers and administrators allows for tailored support of his school’s needs.
CIS also collaborates with AFE, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, and other community partners to hold seasonal Mobile Markets, which are located at various local schools and aim to distribute food and other items to ACPS families in need. This partnership has produced meals for hundreds of ACPS families so far, meeting basic needs for students so they can focus on excelling in the classroom.
These programs represent just a small sample of the many CIS initiatives taking place across ACPS to remove barriers that prevent students from fully participating in school and reaching their potential. An article in The Atlantic highlighted findings that students who participated in CIS programs had improved attendance, graduated from high school at higher rates, enrolled in two-year colleges at higher rates, and earned more as adults than their peers.
The Community Partners Breakfast closed with reflections on the positive impact of CIS and a challenge for attendees to consider how they can partner to meet the needs of both our students and the community. As speakers throughout the morning emphasized, student success is a shared responsibility and requires collaboration among schools, families, nonprofits, businesses, and community members.