Community Schools

Community Schools are identified by the Maryland State Department of Education based on criteria outlined in the Blueprint for Maryland's Future. These schools receive special funding known as Concentration of Poverty Grant funds. The funds are allocated to each designated school to address the unique challenges faced by students and families living in poverty.

The overarching purpose of a Community School is to serve as the hub of the community to bring families, communities, and partners together to address the barriers to student learning. The funding provided to each school must be used at the identified school to support students and their families with both academic and non-academic barriers. In collaboration with community partners, local governments and other stakeholders, community school funding must be used to address these barriers by providing a variety of wraparound services to strengthen a student's ability to be successful.

Examples of those wraparound services are:
 

• Extended learning time
• Safe transportation to school
• Vision and dental care services
• Additional social workers, mentors, counselors, psychologists, and restorative practice coaches
• Enhancing physical wellness, including providing healthy food for in-school and out-of-school time and linkages to community providers
• Enhancing behavioral health services, including access to mental health practitioners, and providing professional development to school staff to provide trauma-informed interventions
• Providing family and community engagement and supports, including informing parents of academic course offerings, language classes, workforce development training, opportunities for children, and available social services as well as education families on how to monitor a child's learning