Growing Community: Scaling Proactive Support with the Community Schools Model

As districts across the country work to build stronger, more connected systems of whole-child care, the Community Schools model continues to emerge as one of the most promising and practical pathways to meet students’ needs proactively. 

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In our November webinar, leaders from Palmdale School District (CA) and Harford County Public Schools (MD) shared how they’re scaling supports, strengthening family engagement, and aligning resources to improve outcomes for every student. 

Along with these links to the recording and slides, below are some of the most powerful insights and strategies the panelists offered.

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Palmdale: Meeting Needs While Building Joyful Community

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In Palmdale, which has 29 Community Schools sites serving 17,000 students, two of the cornerstones of their model include strategic partnerships, and comprehensive programming. Each year, shared Dr. Regina Tillman, Director of Community Schools, the district rolls out seven large-scale events that draw crowds of more than 6,500 people.

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From back-to-school celebrations, wellness festivals, and literacy fairs to medical, dental, and vision clinics, Palmdale is collectively serving their community and cultivating the connections, support, and empowerment that help students thrive.

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“This is how we make sure we are eliminating some of the barriers,” said Dr. Tillman, “as well as having fun events for our families.”

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Strategic partnerships also fuel much of Palmdale's Community Schools initiatives, which are thoughtfully aligned with Palmdale’s LCAP goals. Collaborations with groups like Baby2Baby, the LA Regional Food Bank, and Northrop Grumman provide essentials like clothing and food, while other partnerships with USC and UCLA offer academic coursework, professional development, wellness training, and parent education.

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With the goal to raise attendance rates to 95%, Palmdale’s decrease in chronic absenteeism, as well as their growth in belonging—tracked through Sown To Grow—are strong indicators that their Community Schools efforts are working well so far.

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Harford: Scaling a Statewide Vision for Whole-Child Support

Due to Maryland’s impressive Community Schools Model funding structure, districts like Harford have been able to accelerate from two to 17 schools with an $11M budget, explained Bernard Hennigan, Harford’s Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services.

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What this looks like on the ground is a systematic set of wrap-around services based on surveys, needs assessments, and data analysis, which results in initiatives that allow schools to develop robust programming, hire more staff, and help students succeed.

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“Everybody knows that giving children food, giving them mental health resources, getting them to school more often, those are all good things, and necessary things, and important things,” Hennigan said. “But at the end of the day, a lot of folks want to know how that translates to academics, and we want to be able to show that the work we’re doing is having a direct impact on the academic performance of our students, and we’ve definitely started to see some of that data come forward.”

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Coupled with a strong student support team of social workers, psychologists, therapeutic counselors, and school safety leads, Harford is working to increase their Community Schools effectiveness is by expanding to the younger demographic, said Hennigan, who referenced the statistic that 90 percent of a child’s brain is developed by the age of five.

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“If we're going to sit back and just hope that the right things are done before students come to us in kindergarten or pre-k,” Hennigan said, “then we're kidding ourselves.”

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These proactive and preventative measures will surely continue to fuel strong data outcomes, which the district is already seeing and tracking through several platforms, including Sown To Grow.

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A National Movement—Rooted in Connection

Across both districts, one theme clearly emerged: Community Schools thrive when people work together with shared purpose. Whether through large-scale events, data-driven planning, early childhood supports, or collaborative funding models, these leaders are showing what it looks like to build systems where every child—and every family—feels supported.

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Thank you to our incredible speakers and the inspiring work they’re doing in their districts, and everyone who joined us live or here on the blog. Don’t forget to grab your copy of the slides and view the recording!

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Wherever you’re at on your Community Schools Model journey, we’d love to be a thought-partner to you and your team. Click ‘Meet With Us’ below if you’d like to connect.