This paper outlines a vision for a “partnership ecosystem” that unites school-based service providers into a seamless web of supports for students. Here we describe the rationale for school-community partnerships and the key features of a thriving ecosystem. This document serves as the basis for YDEKC’s School & Community Partnership Toolkit.
This activity is designed to help school and community leaders map out the ecosystem of supports for students at a school site. This can be a helpful exercise if you want to visually represent the complexity of partnerships. See the sample map to get an idea of what a finished map can look like.
Use this tool to think about possible meeting topics and structures that would best suit your partnership.
How do you draft a partnership plan to propose to a school? This is one way to prepare for an initial meeting with school sites. This worksheet helps organizations answer essential questions about their offerings before meeting with schools.
This worksheet is designed to help schools and community partners reflect on the steps they have taken to build a sustainable program and partnership over time.
Often, there are several types of community partners operating in schools simultaneously. Cooperative partners operate autonomously, but may share one or more goals with the school. Collaborative partners share school goals, and periodically discuss with school partners the ways they are helping to accomplish shared goals. Integrated partners work closely with school partners to establish shared goals, and participate in planning and decision-making at their school site. Use this tool to determine what type of partnership you should pursue.