The Children's Aid Society community schools: a full-service partnership model

In 1989, the Children's Aid Society (CAS) created an unprecedented partnership with the New York City Board of Education by developing a comprehensive response to the pressing needs of children and families in the northern Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights. After three years of careful planning, CAS and the New York City public schools opened the first community school at Intermediate School 218, offering a full array of supports, services, and learning opportunities. Adding, on average, one partnership school per year and remaining very flexible in adapting its model to the individual needs of each community, CAS now has thirteen community schools around New York City. The model's flexibility is seen also in the success of its national and international adaptation-an intentional part of CAS's work.