Frequently Asked Questions

City Connects is implemented by your local school. A City Connects Coordinator is a member of your school’s student support team and is selected by your school.

The Coordinator collaborates with their colleagues at your school to review the strengths and needs of every student. With a family’s support, the Coordinator then links each child to a tailored set of services and enrichment opportunities in the school or community addressing his or her particular strengths and needs. Enrichment activities can include sports, arts, and music; services range from after-school programs and tutoring to mentoring. The personalized set of activities and services is designed to help each child reach his or her full potential.

Your Coordinator follows a three-step process: 

Review: In collaboration with other school staff, the Coordinator leads a comprehensive discussion about every child’s strengths and needs across four areas: academics, social-emotional-behavioral, health, and family.

Plan: Next, the Coordinator talks with families and caregivers and makes recommendations about a tailored set of supports and enrichment activities that match the child’s strengths and needs. To facilitate these recommended referrals, a core aspect of the Coordinator’s role is to develop and maintain partnerships with community-based organizations that provide an array of supports and opportunities for students.

Follow up: To evaluate the effectiveness of referrals, the Coordinator communicates regularly with parents and caregivers, school staff, and service providers. 

Your school's Coordinator does Review, Plan, and Follow up in close consultation with teachers, other student support staff in the school, the school principal, and families. The Coordinator receives professional development and support from a local Program Manager, who is in turn supported by the Boston College Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, or if your school is in Indiana, the Marian University Center for Vibrant Schools’ City Connects Midwest Technical Assistance Center.

The City Connects model is a way of implementing student support across the entire school. Families may choose to opt out of having an individualized support plan developed for their child. Families may also opt out of any recommended referrals to in-school or community-based services or enrichments. Families should communicate with their school principal regarding any opt-out requests.

Coordinators must follow all school data protection policies and local, state, and federal laws applicable to the data and to the school. No data collected by Coordinators may be accessed without the prior approval of their school. Personally identifiable information about a student that is stored electronically will be encrypted and must comply with applicable data security standards.

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You can reach out to the Coordinator in your school, talk with your school principal, and find more information here: cityconnects.org.