Communities In Schools to Receive Major Grant From the Corporation for National and Community Service

Investment Will be Used to Improve the Lives of Young People Nationwide ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Communities In Schools, the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization, is proud to announce that it is one of only three national organizations to receive a competitive grant award from the Corporation for National and Community Service. In an effort to reach out to young people in need across the country, the Corporation for National and Community Service has awarded a Youth Development Grant to Communities In Schools. This grant will support work that is focused on improving the lives of children and youth. “Communities In Schools is proud to have earned this grant award from the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Corporation has the highest standards of rigor when evaluating its investments, and it means a great deal that our organization is one of the select few to receive this support,” said Daniel J. Cardinali, president, Communities In Schools, Inc. The Corporation has a special focus on the needs of children and youth, particularly those growing up in neighborhoods characterized by high poverty rates, high crime rates and single-parent homes. The Corporation leverages national services resources to meet pressing academic, health-related and social needs of these young people. The enormity of the challenges facing youth today is evidenced by the startling statistic that every 26 seconds, another student in the U.S. drops out of school – a total of one million each year. “We are delighted to award this grant to Communities In Schools. They have a solid track record of producing measurable outcomes on behalf of children. They know, like we do, that caring adults not only build students’ self-esteem and trust, but also connect them to the broader world and to other services that can change their lives and give them the skills to succeed. Each of these grantees is poised to make a difference in the lives of young people at risk,” said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “The single most effective intervention in the life of a child is for someone to stand up and say, ‘I care.'” Communities In Schools joins America’s Promise-The Alliance for Youth; and America Scores and Up2Us as one of the selected organizations supporting youth development through planning, collaboration, and alliance building for youth-serving organizations at the local and regional level, as well as direct programming to help children and youth succeed in school. The awards are for the first year of a three-year grant cycle. With its grant, Communities In Schools will build capacity to deliver high-quality services to children and youth within its network by: 1) providing training and technical assistance on strong business practices, CIS site operations, and site coordinator management of integrated student services; 2) building the capacity of CIS state offices to support stringent new accreditation standards for affiliates; and 3) building a consistent message and awareness campaign through strong network communication strategies. The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year, the Corporation engages more than four million Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to meet local needs through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs. For more information, visit www.NationalService.gov. Communities In Schools is the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization, working in more than 3,200 K-12 public schools. Founded in 1977, Communities In Schools is headquartered in Alexandria, Va. Today, 1.2 million young people annually receive direct services through more than 200 Communities In Schools local affiliates in 27 states and the District of Columbia. Between 80-90 percent of Communities In Schools’ tracked students show improvement in academic achievement, attendance, behavior and promotion to the next grade level. Visit our website at www.communitiesinschools.org.