The Hartford Community Schools partnership will have an additional $100,000 to support further development and expansion into more Hartford public schools, thanks to an award from United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut.

Hartford Community Schools brings multiple services together in one location – the neighborhood school – to meet the needs of students, their parents and other local residents. Community schools are open beyond regular school hours and on weekends, holidays, and in the summer. Under the management of a lead nonprofit agency, each school offers a range of services which may include homework help, after-school and summer programs; financial education, English learning and GED classes for parents; medical, dental, vision and mental health services; and arts and cultural enrichment.

Nationally, community schools have resulted in improved attendance, academic and behavioral results for students and have also increased the stability of the neighborhoods in which they are located.

Hartford Community Schools is a public-private partnership between Hartford Public Schools, the City of Hartford’s Offices of Youth Services and Health and Human Services, Achieve Hartford!, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut and other organizations. Since the partnership began in 2008, the model has been implemented in five schools: Alfred E. Burr School, the Asian Studies Academy at Dwight/Belizzi, the Core Knowledge Academy at Thirman L. Milner School, Hartford Magnet Middle School and the Academy for Latino Studies at Burns School.

Participating Hartford schools posted an average 5.6 point increase in the percentage of students scoring at the Proficient level on the 2010 Connecticut Mastery Test – twice the school district average.

“I am thrilled at the opportunity for students in Hartford that this award represents,” said Sandra Ward, director of Hartford Community Schools. “Providing the social, physical and mental health services and family supports that help students succeed in school is an important part of our educational reform agenda in Hartford. This award will help us hone our evaluation tools, advance our teacher training, and enhance our communications to provide even more targeted and streamlined services to help our students succeed.”

“We’re pleased to be able to support a promising approach to helping children and families in Hartford,” remarked Laurie Londergan, a member of United Way’s Board of Directors and chair of the Changing Community Conditions Committee, which recommended the grant. “Hartford Community Schools’ work aligns very well with United Way’s goals to double the number of youth who improve academic performance and increase family financial stability.”

Funding for the grant came from United Way Community Investment dollars contributed by thousands of donors during the United Way Community Campaign and from the George Bahamonde Fund, established by many friends in memory of United Way’s former president and CEO, who passed away suddenly in 2006.

In addition to its financial support for Hartford Community Schools – which now totals more than $420,000 – United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut has provided staff support since the earliest stages of the partnership. And its new Women’s Leadership Council is spearheading efforts to establish a financial education program to help families at Alfred E. Burr School learn to manage a household budget, pay off debt and save for the future.

To learn more about Hartford Community Schools, please contact Sandra Ward, director, at (860) 695-8575.

To learn more about United Way’s efforts to improve education, financial stability and health across central and northeastern Connecticut, please contact Jennifer Gifford, director of planning and assessment, at (860) 493-1113.