Building Stronger Schools, Families, and Communities
Connected Community Schools is a collaborative initiative designed to ensure that students and families have access to essential resources and support services—helping them thrive in school, at home, and within the community.
By integrating school-based services with community partnerships, Connected creates hubs of support where students, families, and individuals can access food, health services, educational programming, and social resources—all within their local schools.
The community schools strategy transforms a school into a place where educators, local community members, families, and students work together to strengthen conditions for student learning and healthy development. As partners, they organize in- and out-of-school resources, supports, and opportunities so that young people thrive.
The Connected Community Schools Initiative’s mission is to ensure that all students and families have their basic needs met so they can be successful in their everyday lives. The Connected initiative, led by 3 Core Non-Profit Organizations (CNYHHN, Rome Alliance for Education & Connect Ed), has fostered the community school strategy to partner with Public School Districts, BOCES, Community Organizations, Local Government, Businesses, and Higher Education Institutes to create Community Schools across Central New York, specializing in ensuring that individual students and families have their basic needs met to be successful in the classroom and the community. Currently, the initiative supports and partners with 13 Public School Districts, encompassing 55 Connected Schools and serving over 25,000 students and their families.
By integrating school based services with community partnerships, becoming a Connected School includes Family Engagement Opportunities, Connected Classrooms for enhanced learning, access to LINK as a single point of access referral system to assess individual needs and connect children and families with the community resources, and centralizing a Connected HUB within the School that offers tangible resources such as food, clothing, hygiene, school supplies etc. in addition to creating a pinnacle safe space. Centralizing our resources within our schools, and maximizing our resources with a centralized infrastructure has been one of the many successes in becoming a Connected School and Partner!
Our Mission
To create community schools that ensure students and families have their most basic needs met and that they are inspired and supported by their communities.
Who We Serve
Connected supports any student, family, or individual in need within participating school districts across Oneida, Herkimer, and Madison Counties.
What We Do
Family Engagement
Connected works to create positive, meaningful interactions between families and schools through:
Community LINK
Community LINK is our single point of access for service delivery, connecting students and families to the right community resources based on their unique needs.
Through LINK referrals, Connected Site Coordinators assess a household’s needs and connect them with:
Classroom Programming & Community Connections
We bring hands-on, real-world experiences into the classroom by connecting schools with community partners. This programming:
Connected HUBs – School-Based Resource Centers
Connected HUBs are physical spaces within Connected Schools that provide:
How to Get Involved
Refer a Student or Family
If you know someone in need of support, submit a Community LINK referral online.
Partner With Us
Are you a business, nonprofit, or organization interested in collaborating with Connected Community Schools? Contact our leadership team to explore partnership opportunities.
