Event Showcases Effort Toward Community Schools

Village for Families and Children President and CEO Dr. Galo A. Rodriguez, MPH, joined other city leaders including Mayor Eddie Perez and School Superintendant Steven Adamowski at an event designed to showcase the Hartford Community Schools Initiative. The event was held Monday morning, April 20, at the Burr School at 400 Wethersfield Avenue in Hartford, Connecticut.‎ Also on hand were Hartford Foundation for Public Giving President Linda Kelly, Director of the Hartford Office for Youth Services Enid Rey, and United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut President and CEO Susan Dunn.

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(l-r) Senior Program Director Aldwin Allen, Burr student Marleny Guzman, United Way President and CEO Susan Dunn, Senior Program Director Mayilyn Calderon, Village President and CEO Galo Rodriguez, Burr Principal Donna Caldeira, Superintendant Steven Adamowski, Village VP Hector Glynn, and  Community School Director Charlene Perez.

Kelvin Roldan, Acting Director of Strategic Partnerships, welcomed the host of invited business and civic leaders who came to share the exciting potential of the community schools model. Among those who spoke, Superintendant Adamowski remarked that it was particularly appropriate to have the event at the Burr Community School, citing the Village for Families and Children's involvement at the school as deeply rooted and particularly strong. A highlight of the morning was Burr eighth grader Marleny Guzman, who spoke briefly and eloquently, thanking her school for supporting her interests and abilities so fully. All who spoke praised the progress that has made in establishing the community schools model in Hartford's schools.

In addition to remarks from the city leaders who were present, the event featured video excerpts from an interview of United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. In the clip, Duncan, a strong supporter of the community schools movement, said, "Where schools truly become the centers of the community, great things happen." [See the full interview with Secretary Duncan here.] As a key partner in the community schools movement and the lead agency at the Burr School, the Village whole heartedly agrees with Secretary Duncan. A research brief produced by Coalition for Community Schools, which describes the mounting evidence supporting the community school model, can be found here.

The Burr School is one of five public schools chosen to pilot the community school model in Hartford. The model, pioneered in New York City by the Children's Aid Society, re-imagines schools as a locus of community activity and services supporting children and their families. Schools will work with organizations and groups to determine the needs of its community and to implement services to meet these needs. The Village for Families and Children has been designated the lead agency at the Burr School .Charlene Perez, Community School Director, works directly with school leadership to build programs that support the community school mission.

The Village for Families and Children, Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in 1809 that provides services for families and children in the Hartford region. Two centuries later, the Village has evolved to become one of the largest community services organizations in the greater Hartford region, helping families and touching the lives of over 6,200 children, women, and men annually through adoption and foster care programs, outpatient and residential health services, and community support services.