Communities In Schools of Chatham County

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North Carolina System of Care: What’s Up Breakfast Series

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What’s Up Breakfast Networking is designed to keep child-serving staff and families up-to-date about resources and emerging services as well as an opportunity to announce activities within agencies. The 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. format allows time for networking/breakfast; program presentations and announcements. For information please contact Chandrika Brown: cbrown@ncfamiliesunited.org or Stephanie Jones: stephaniej.jones@cardinalinnovations.org

Date/Time: February, 6th at 8:30 A.M Breakfast / 9:00 A.M. Presentations

Location: Chatham County Library Conference Room, 197 NC-87 Pittsboro, NC 27312

For more information on the What’s Up Breakfast Series click here.

“Programs Don’t Change People, Relationships Do” ~Bill Milliken

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The mission of Chatham County Schools (CCS) is “to graduate globally competitive and confident students by providing a rigorous and relevant curriculum in a supportive, safe and nurturing learning environment.” This is a lofty mission, and it’s difficult to achieve when many students face serious challenges both inside and outside of the classroom. That is why the work Communities In Schools of Chatham County (CISCC) does is so important.  Joelle Brummitt-Yale, CISCC board member, says she values CISCC “for being the piece that schools don’t have time to address. CIS Chatham works to help youth be ‘well’ and that includes academically, socially, and behaviorally.” Taking a holistic and targeted approach to helping students succeed in school and in life is especially illustrated through CISCC’s school-based program.

Chatham Middle School (CMS) in Siler City is one of two sites where the school-based program is implemented. Students who attend CMS live  in a community with many identified risk factors that impede their learning and the likelihood that they will stay in school. These factors include, but are not limited to, poverty, discrimination, housing instability, hunger, poor health, limited extracurricular activities and high levels of daily stress. The CISCC school-based model places Student Support Specialists directly inside schools where they serve as the single point of contact in addressing students’ needs. Tych Cowdin has been the CISCC Student Support Specialist at CMS since the fall of 2014. Since then, he has built strong relationships with school administrators and community partners to secure vital supports that are tailored to students’ and families’ individual circumstances.

Cowdin has one foot in the school and one foot in the community, and he brings them together beautifully. The support that he provides can be as basic as asking local businesses to provide school supplies, volunteers to provide academic assistance or partnering with a local church to provide students in need extra food on the weekends. Support can also be more intensive in the form of small groups and one-on-one check-in addressing bullying, anger management, and dealing with grief. Support can even be after-school enrichment activities. Whatever the needs are, the goal is to combine strong one-on-one relationships with evidence-based programs that leverage resources and remove barriers that keep students from succeeding.

According to Abby Bishop, School Counselor at CMS, “Tych has had a major impact on the students at CMS. He has a caseload of students he serves, but he also has a presence at the school where all students know him and want to work with him. He does a wonderful job of being around and being available to students.” Ms. Bishop is grateful for the many programs and services Cowdin has coordinated such as: summer camp placements, Cooking Matters, yoga classes, Strengthening Families Program, and many more. He works with CMS students about their behavior and focuses on the social/emotional development of each student so they have better academic outcomes. Bishop says, “Tych relates to the students and they feel comfortable opening up to him. He’s such a huge asset to our school! Tych is not only loved by all CMS students, he’s also loved by the CMS staff!” CMS principal Chad Morgan agrees. He said, “Cowdin’s “impact on the school has been just monumental,” and that his “greatest asset to our school is his ability to build relationships. He focuses on building relationships with all stakeholders…and his energy to serve is contagious.” Morgan adds that Cowdin does “not just start programs for the sake of starting programs. He listens, reviews data, and seeks feedback from all stakeholders to ensure the programs implemented match the needs of the school.” The needs assessment, student support plans, and ongoing monitoring of student data are all elements of the proven CIS school-based model; but, as Communities In Schools founder Bill Milliken said, “Programs don’t change kids-relationships do.”

Cowdin says, “It really boils down to a lot of mentoring. Kids often don’t have anybody they can view as a role model or somebody to talk with or look up to—somebody there at school they can have a relationship with.” Attendance, Behavior, Coursework + Parent and family engagement are the focus areas guiding  CISCC’s school-based work, but this ABC+P model only works with strong relationships inside and outside of the school.

The program’s positive impact is reflected in what community members and partners are saying. Recently, participants in the Hispanic Liaison Youth Program in Siler City participated in a focus group as part of a community assessment for the Building Integrated Communities Project out of UNC Chapel Hill on how the youth cope with daily stresses. The draft report stated that the youth may not be able to tell you what ‘programs’ helped them, but they talked about the “great person at Chatham Middle who built relationships with the kids, was enthusiastic and cared about them.

Erika Guy has been volunteering at CMS regularly for the last two years, conducting school-wide seminars, small groups, and helping coordinate the healthful cooking classes, and she speaks highly of the collaboration that has been fostered at CMS. She said to Cowdin, “I cannot adequately express how much fun it has been to collaborate with you over these last two years.  What I missed the most when I left my job in Boston, was working with a team of similarly motivated folks—always thinking creatively about how to make the lives of kids just a little bit better. I have found that with you and Abby Bishop, CMS and CISCC.”

Thinking creatively and working together to make the lives of the children and families a little bit better—essentially helping add to their overall wellness— that’s what it’s all about.   

To learn more about CISCC school-based model, the work done and partnerships made, please contact Tych Cowdin, Program Director/Student Support Specialist, Chatham Middle School at tcowdin@cischatham.org or (919) 663-0116 ext. 413

 

“Our kids are hungry for knowledge. We just need to feed them the right way.”~Jazmin Mendoza Sosa

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In November 2016, with increased support from Chatham County Schools, Communities In Schools Chatham County (CISCC) expanded its services to Virginia Cross Elementary (VCE) in Siler City to reach the younger siblings of Chatham Middle School (CMS) students and their classmates. Jazmin Mendoza Sosa is the CISCC Student Support Specialist at VCE, and she is great at putting out fires. In fact, she’s even better at preventing fires from starting in the first place. Mendoza Sosa serves as a liaison within the school and also between the school and the community. Whether it’s making sure the school staff is aware of CISCC volunteers coming into the school, helping teachers and non-native English speaking parents communicate, directly helping students needing extra attention, or bridging the school and the community, Mendoza Sosa works with passion and skill. She is especially invested, because, as she tells her students and families, “I was one of you. I grew up in Siler City. My parents are hard workers too. You can work hard and be like me!”

Mendoza Sosa works with 54 students (10% of the school’s population) on emotional, social, and behavioral learning. These students have been identified as needing extra supports to what VCE already has in place. These children have different needs with different intensities, and Mendoza is exceptionally skilled at understanding these needs, anticipating supports, and finding help. Sometimes Mendoza Sosa works with small groups of children, and sometimes she goes into the classroom to work with students one on one. Whether in the classroom, a small-group setting or walking in the hallways, Mendoza Sosa models the behaviors and skills she is trying to teach. She constantly assesses each situation, “thinks on her feet,” and appropriately responds to the individuals’ and groups’ needs.

Mendoza Sosa has 30 minutes each week to work with a small group of 1st graders and 30 minutes each week to work with a small group of 3rd graders—both during the students’ lunch period. She maximizes every minute she has with them to teach pro-social skills (e.g., sharing, helping, cooperating, and empathy). Mendoza Sosa teaches responsibility and how to share by assigning each student rotating jobs such as line leader, door holder, and bathroom monitor. Mendoza Sosa also demonstrates different ways to handle situations, often on the spur of the moment, according to what students are dealing with right then. For example, she concluded a discussion with the 1st graders on strategies to use when they were disappointed by having to divide two cookies four ways. Mendoza Sosa kindly, but firmly, explained, “We don’t always get what we want. It’s ok to be disappointed. But it’s not ok to call people bad names or hit someone.” The children ended up being ok with sharing their cookie. After all, what’s better—half of a cookie or no cookie at all?

In addition to working with children in small groups and one on one, Mendoza Sosa is instrumental in communicating information between the VCE teachers and parents—especially the parents who do not speak English. She might text or call to stress the importance of children taking their ADHD medication the weekend before EOG tests. Or she might remind parents to sign permission slips for students attending summer Reading Camp. Both the teachers and parents appreciate Mendoza Sosa’s vitality in linking the school, homes, and the community. A first-year teacher at VCE with students on Mendoza Sosa’s caseload recently said, “I honestly don’t know how I would’ve made it through the year without her. She was a valuable asset to me and the students who had behavioral struggles. She is truly an amazing person to work with. She always helps to give other possible options to handling difficult situations and students. She helped with parent communication and was great at getting my concerns addressed to the parents. Ms. Jazmin is undeniably the greatest asset I had at VCE the year.”

Mendoza Sosa’s work doesn’t stop when the school year ends, though. She and the media specialist at VCE, Lindsay Shore-Wright, are taking an existing resource to higher levels this summer by expanding the Bookmobile.  Beginning on June 13th and running through August 22nd, each Wednesday VCE will bring a library on wheels to 10 neighborhoods in Siler City. This summer, though, extra activities are planned at two of the stops—activities that reinforce literacy skills and encourage reading for fun. The goal is to double the numbers of Bookmobile participants from last year. Snacks, prizes, bookmarks, pencils, and erasers will be given out and craft and reading comprehension activities will be done. There will even be a volunteer reading aloud at these two sites each week.

Not all parents feel comfortable going into their children’s schools, or even onto the Bookmobile.  Last year it took all summer for one parent to feel comfortable getting on the Bookmobile to help pick out a book for her child. Mendoza Sosa wants the whole experience to be friendlier and include more than checking out books. The weekly Bookmobile visits will give Mendoza Sosa the opportunity to engage families and find out from parents what kinds of things they need to support reading with children and their children’s learning in general. Krista Millard, formerly with Chatham Reads— whose mission is to foster community partnerships that are dedicated to ensuring that literacy and reading resources are accessible to all Chatham County residents—said that Jazmin is an integral part of the Bookmobile’s success. “She provides a safe place for families to come and access books over the summer. She interprets and is a familiar face to the students.” Mendoza Sosa is passionate about trying new things to benefit students. She tells the families, “I care about your family. We need to work together to help your child succeed.”

Mendoza Sosa lives her passion and will track data from this summer’s Bookmobile to see if the extra efforts are making positive impacts. “Our kids are hungry for knowledge,” Mendoza Sosa says. “We just need to feed them the right way.” There is no indication that Mendoza Sosa will stop until the right way is found.

For more information on the work done at Virginia Cross Elementary School or with the Bookmobile, please contact Jazmin Mendoza Sosa, Student Support Specialist, at  jmendozasosa@cischatham.org or by calling (919) 663-0116 ext. 410

Engaged Parents, Stronger Families

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What if you were self-employed but found yourself struggling because you didn’t have a training manual on how to effectively manage your employees? What if half of your employees spoke a language that you didn’t understand well? What if your staff broke the company rules and you didn’t have an appropriate discipline strategy? Wouldn’t it be nice to have your own personal coach to teach you on-the-job skills and guide you when your job became overwhelming? Your own personal champion to introduce you to resources and ways of doing things that, if applied, would increase your job performance and satisfaction? The Family Advocacy Program at Communities In Schools of Chatham County (CISCC) serves as this type of coach, as it provides the education, support and assistance that many parents need to thrive in the most important role as a manager they’ll ever have: parenting.

CISCC’s Family Advocacy program helps parents and families recognize their strengths, their needs, and available resources that will help the whole family thrive. Youth are referred to the program by juvenile court counselors of Chatham County when the youth—ages 8-16—are on probation, deferred prosecution for breaking the law, or because they have become undisciplined, meaning they are beyond the control of their parent. Family Advocacy is one piece of a comprehensive therapeutic plan that juvenile counselors create.

Maria Soto, long-time Family Advocate with CISCC, and Bieisy Santiago, Program Assistant, provide services to families according to what each family needs and when each family is available. Maria and Bieisy are both steeped in the community where families know and trust them. Maria meets with families at least two hours each week, sometimes in their homes and sometimes in the office. Maria talks with parents about specific issues they are dealing with such as how best to communicate with their children’s teachers and what the legal ramifications are when students miss too many days of school. She helps them navigate appointments with community agencies they are already involved with or may need to be connected with. Since the majority of Family Advocacy participants are Latino, Maria interprets for those who don’t have strong English language skills. One-on-one or small-group tutoring is offered to youth who need academic support, and parenting classes are required. Maria and Bieisy also assist families participating in other CISCC programs such as the Mentoring Program and The Learning Institute. Families are connected to educational and recreational workshops, field trips, and summer camp placement for youth. The Family Advocacy program teaches valuable skills for the whole family so that the youth and adults increase a their ability to manage difficult situations and make better decisions in the classroom, at home, with peers, and in the community.

In addition to being a Child/Family/Team facilitator, Maria is a certified facilitator for the nationally recognized Parenting Matters and Strengthening Families programs. She and Bieisy lead Parenting Matters, an eight-week, sixteen-hour parenting course that focuses on discipline, helping parents manage their stress, and helping parents improve communication with their children. Parenting Matters classes are offered during the day for parents who work evenings, and they are offered in the evenings for parents who work during the day.

These parenting sessions are times to learn and to socialize. Maria said her parents often feel isolated, and the weekly classes provide a time to come together for support. They realize that they aren’t the only ones with children that behave the way their children do. One participant said, “I have learned a lot. I learn from other people’s experiences. We have different experiences but at the same time we have shared experiences and being a part of this group every week helps us know that we are not alone.” They become empowered as parents to set clear boundaries with their children and they are able to better enforce consequences. Maria said some parents come back to the parenting groups even after the course ends. They may pop in seeking support and encouragement for a specific issue, or they may come back to the group to provide support for other parents. The parenting group becomes a positive, supportive network. Maria said, “We see better results for the kids when parents are engaged.”

Acculturation can be difficult when the parents speak one language and the children are bilingual. Parents sometimes feel out of the loop and The Family Advocacy program helps bring them together and become engaged. We are seeing positive impacts. Parents have shared that as a result of participating in the Family Advocacy program, their relationships with their children have improved. They feel better equipped to set limits and are more confident, overall, in dealing with family problems that arise. That’s the point, because parenting doesn’t come with a training manual. Thankfully, Family Advocacy fills a crucial role in helping parents succeed on the most important job they’ll ever have.

 

For more information on the Family Advocacy program, contact Maria Soto, Family Advocate at

maria@cischatham.org or (919) 663-0116 ext.405

Operation Round Up Supports CISCC’s Expansion into Bonlee School

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WHAT IS OPERATION ROUND UP?

 

Operation Round Up is a volunteer program in which Central Electric Members can choose to round up their electric bill to the next whole dollar each month, in order to help those in need. The money is used to provide assistance for all kinds of worthy projects in Chatham, Harnett, Moore, Lee and Randolph communities. For example, if your bill is $65.74, Central Electric will round up your bill to $66.00. The extra 26 cents will go into the Central Electric Member Care Trust fund. The average yearly contribution is around $6.00 with the most being $11.88.

Operation Round Up targets non-profit organizations, groups and charities that are currently serving members of Central Electric. The guidelines used for awarding Operation Round Up funds address food, shelter, clothing, education, health care and vital community service needs.

Operation Round Up is similar to Members Care, a donation program Central Electric previously had in place. However, Operation Round Up replaced Members Care to allow Central Electric more opportunities to help those in need around the community – member or non-member.

While Operation Round Up is a voluntary program, the more support received from our members, the more lives will be changed! To participate or learn more, call the Central EMC office at 1-800-446-7752.

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