DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — Students in four South Central Pennsylvania schools will see new faces in the hallways this year.
Communities in Schools of Pennsylvania (CISPA) is a non-profit organization working to provide additional support for students to be successful, in and out of the classroom. This year, the program is expanding its work to include Cedar Crest Middle School, Paradise Elementary School, Upper Dauphin Area Middle School and Ferndale Area Elementary School.
“They are here to support the school in any way that they can, socially, emotionally, they can provide academic support for the kids within our school,” said Amy Mykut, the principal at Ferndale Elementary.
This support comes in many forms, from offering academic help to providing students in need with food and clothing.
Theresa Kapo, a site coordinator for CISPA explained, "There are some things that guidance counselors do that I can’t do and there's some things that I can do that guidance counselors can’t do, I think a lot of it comes down to time.”
CISPA liaisons focus on building a sense of community within the school, which can include reaching out to parents to solve common classroom issues. Will Webster is the director of southwestern Pa. programs for CISPA and said the group focuses more on why students are exhibiting certain behaviors than then collaborate on solutions with the students and their families.
"The biggest one we've seen is the attendance concerns with students and one of the things that we can do that schools might not have the capacity to do is do home visits and actually get out in the community and talk with families to explain why it's important that the student comes to school," Webster said.
And by fostering these deeper connections with students and their families, those in the program are seeing students succeed in school and life.
Kapo has worked with CISPA for three years and will be joining Ferndale Elementary for the first time this fall. She said, "I’ve seen the growth that it really has in the community and you know once our students thrive, we all thrive."
The expansion comes after CISPA was awarded $191,000 in grant funding from Scaling for Success for the 2024-2025 school year, along with an additional partnership with The 1889 Foundation.
Mykut says that without this funding, it wouldn't be possible for Ferndale Elementary to partner with CISPA.
“It is a lot to have them here, however, I think that cost is worth every penny to have them within our schools and the services they provide," she said.
According to its website, CISPA currently serves 23 individual schools across nine school districts in Pennsylvania. Webster says the group will continue to grow nationwide to help students reach their full potential.