Many of our children and youth are struggling with complex issues, including substance use, mental health problems, learning disabilities, and toxic stress—issues that extend beyond the school into the larger community. Most children cannot thrive in school unless these underlying challenges are addressed. Yet, schools often lack the resources to effectively deal with these challenges alone.
Fortunately, schools are not alone in their concern for the welfare and success of students. People in your community—business owners, law enforcement and juvenile justice officers, mental health providers, social services workers, and families—share this same interest and each offer a unique contribution to solving challenges. Many of these groups are already involved with some students and families. Partnering with them to implement effective solutions will enhance your success.
Partnering does take time, effort, and perseverance, but the results are well worth it. Partnerships yield numerous benefits—improving communication and information-sharing, avoiding service duplication, saving money, and meeting needs more effectively and strategically, to name just a few.
Our online course will help you identify willing stakeholders in your community and will provide you with strategies to reach out to them and keep them engaged. Once you’ve established partnerships, you can begin to Plan a Multipronged Approach.
