•  A safe and structured place to go before / after school services

•  A person who they feel they can trust to be an advocate during difficult times

•  An advocate during court

•  A setting that will provide students with information concerning: 1. Proper social interaction, 2. Drug prevention, 3. Health and Hygiene, 4. Family issues

•  Assistance with transitions for Elementary, Jr. High and High School concerning grading systems, attendance, and school/district policy

•  Career Awareness

•  Enrichment activities / Exploration Activities

•  The opportunities to give back through service learning projects

•  An advocate to work with pregnant students to offer groups and supportive guidance

•  Behavior management classes for students with limited social skills

A case manager is assigned to all CISB campuses. By placing case managers on the school campuses, CISB staff becomes a liaison and communicates between the school district and families. The Case Manager offers services to assist in developing programs and coordinating resources to ensure the attendance and academic success of referred students. CISB case management system  includes documentation and data entry  to track and evaluate the progress of students receiving.  CISB services are place directly where they are needed we are able to create a difference in the lives of our students and families.   One or more of the following services are offered to students and their families:

• Monitoring students who have a history of attendance, academics, and behavior problems
• Assistance with students who live in households receiving TANF funds
•  Assistance with students who meet the at-risk criteria as defined by TEA
•  Work as a court advocate for students attending Juvenile Court
•  Assist students who are referred to the program by school personnel
•  Provide before / after school services
•  Provide Health and Human services referrals to students and families in need
•  Work with other agencies to offset service gaps.
•  Provide incentives for students who have shown improvement in attendance, academics and behavior

Higher Learning
CISB is not only dedicated to helping students over come obstacles that may lead to dropping out of school, but also encourage students to seek post secondary education.  During the 2006-2007 school year, CISB staff with the assistance of volunteers from Exxon/ Mobil, Lee College, GCCISD, and local community members, created a college readiness program, entitled The Higher Learning Project. The Higher Learning Project introduces students from Robert E. Lee and Ross E. Sterling High School’s, 9th, through 12th grades, with the skills needed to be ready for college.

Prospective students are identified by CISB case managers, AVID teachers and school personnel as good candidates for support services because of their academic history, or fit a profile of students who need guidance on career options. A special emphasis will be made to students who will be the first generation in the family to go to college. The Higher Learning Project is organized around the central goals of improving academic achievement and preparing students with the necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to graduate from high school and succeed in college.* Services provide in the Higher Learning Project include:

•  A series of workshops on College Application Process, SAT/ACT Preparation, Financial Aid, Kaplan, and more.
•  The school year series will end with a tour of college campuses.
•  In addition to the college tour, the students will get the chance to visit historical and cultural sites.
•  Students must be in good academic standing and have good attendance in the program and school to participate in the out of state trip.
•  All mentors will be required to undergo criminal background checks.
•  Mentors must have two contacts per month.
•  One of the contacts is a special activity, which may include trips to culture events or educational activities.
•  The other contact is participation in small activities such as team building activities and/or school visits.

With the exception of Gentry and Highlands, each after school program is managed by a fulltime Campus Coordinator. The Campus Coordinator is a Communities In Schools –Baytown employee. To assist each Campus Coordinator with supervision of the students each day, a minimum of six After School/Summer Program Assistants are employed. Additionally contract service providers are hired to teach lessons in specific skills for example karate, dance, science projects and citizen led apprenticeships. At Gentry and Highlands CISB use a contracted service provider with the University of Houston to provide after school services.

The program hours are 5 days a week for 3 hours a day starting at approximately 3:00 pm until 6:00 p.m. Services included in the program are:

o Homework and academic tutoring
o Career Awareness
o Enrichment activities
o Small group leadership skills
o Team Building Skills
o Social/Cultural Skills Training
o Dance
o Drumline
o Theater
o Other service provider related activities

During the Fall of 2007, The United Way of Baytown Area, contracted with the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, for a study to determine the needs in the area as well as barriers that exist in our community.

* The study’s include the following:

o The Hispanic population is the fastest growing group in the area
o Although services are available there still exist gaps for specialized services for seniors, people with disabilities, services for the homeless, and victims of domestic violence.
o There is a need for increased services for children, particularly poor children and their families.
o There is a need for quality after school and summer programs for poor children
o There is an additional need for adult literacy classes
o There is a great need for public transportation.
o The results of this study is being used by the United Way of Baytown and all agencies in the area to discuss way to address the present needs in our community.
o CISB has developed an impressive history of pulling resources to the table for proposes of planning and collaboration in service delivery to students and their families. Although resources are scarce in East Harris County, CIS Baytown has developed relationships and partnerships with Mental Health Agencies, Children’s Protective Services, and Juvenile Probation, among others.
o Due to our relationship with the Justice Court for Truancy and Juvenile misdemeanor cases, CISB expanded to Channelview ISD during PY 99-00, Crosby ISD during PY 06-07 and is expecting to expand to Barbers Hill ISD during PY 07-08.
o CISB is exploring the need to expand to other districts including Huffman, Sheldon, Liberty, Dayton, and Anahuac.
o The collaboration with Justice Court, and Children’s Protective Services in Harris County is a growing program and requires systematic expansion to area districts. We had to discontinue services to Galena Park ISD, because they had a reduction of funds and could not meet the required matching funds.
o Many school districts have been interested in adding CIS but school districts matching funds seem to be increasing barrier to expansion plans.