Service Coordination in Rural Areas I. TOPIC Project Attention II. LOCATION Hiawatha, Kansas III. SUBJECT Service Coordination in Rural Areas IV. SUMMARY Project Attention was conceived by the Kansas Commission on Children, Youth and families and was developed and implemented by Community Action, Inc. Of Topeka, Kansas. It was then replicated by Northeast Kansas Community Action Program (NEK-CAP). The initial concept was to establish a base of operation in the school to convey the importance of the link between family life and school life. What is particularly unique about this project is that it has been successfully implemented simultaneously in a very rural area (Northeast Kansas) and an urban area (Topeka, Kansas). Project staff are located on site in elementary school s to assist school staff and families to become aware of and have access to available community resources. Project staff work with private and public providers to bring resources and parent support to the schools. This makes it more convenient for the families. Project Attention provides a link not only between school staff and families, but also between families and neighborhood residents, businesses, civic groups, state and local health and social service agencies, local government, child care providers, pre-school programs, mental health agencies, United Way, and the Kansas Commission on Children, Youth and Families. Meetings and needs assessments are conducted by Project Attention staff in the community to determine needs and priorities. Project Attention also assists in the transition to elementary school. For example, staff work with Head Start to identify which elementary school the Head Start children will be moving to the following year. Project staff then reach out to the parents in the school district to create a link between the structured parent involvement of Head Start to the traditionally less structured relationship between parents and the regular school system. V. SUCCESSFUL PRACTICE Created a school-based community services coordination model that may be replicated in either a rural or urban setting. VI. CONTACT Annie L. Johnson, Executive Director Sharidy Fluke, Project Staff NEK-CAP, Inc. (A Community Action Agency) Rural Route #4, P.O. Box 187 Hiawatha, Kansas 66434 913-742-2222 913-742-2164 (FAX) VII. CASE STUDY The Problem: The need to establish a community services coordination program that conveyed the importance of the link between family life and school life. The Approach Adopted: Project Attention was conceived by the Kansas Commission on Children, Youth and Families and was developed and implemented by Community Action, Inc. Of Topeka, Kansas. It was then replicated by Northeast Kansas Community Action Program (NEK-CAP). The initial concept was to establish a base of operation in the school to convey the importance of the link between family life and school life. What is particularly unique about this project is that it has been successfully implemented simultaneously in a very rural area (Northeast Kansas) and an urban area (Topeka, Kansas). How They Implemented The Approach: Project staff are located on site in elementary schools to assist school staff and families to become aware of and have access to available community resources. Project staff work with private and public providers to bring resources and parent support to the schools. This makes it more convenient for the families. Project Attention provides a link not only between school staff and families, but also between families and neighborhood residents, businesses, civic groups, state and local health and social service agencies, local government, child care providers, pre-school programs, mental health agencies, United Way, and the Kansas Commission on Children, Youth and Families. Meetings and needs assessments are conducted by Project Attention staff in the community to determine needs and priorities. Project Attention also assists in the transition to elementary school. For example, staff work with Head Start to identify which elementary school the Head Start children will be moving to the following year. Project staff then reach out to the parents in the school district to create a link between the structured parent involvement of Head Start to the traditionally less structured relationship between parents and the regular school system. The project has been funded by multiple sources including CSBG, CDBG, and foundations such as the Kellogg Foundation. CSBG, which is a continuing source of funds, was crucial in getting the program off the ground in that it covered start-up costs Results: Since the program began in 1994, 2,200 low-income children and their families, 500 Head Start children, 300 child care children and their families have benefited from Project Attention services. Over 50 parents have participated in GED. English-As-A-Second Language education tutors and mentors have worked with 75 children. The project is attracting increasing numbers of volunteers and developing more collaborative projects with schools, families, and service providers. VIII. PROGRAM SPIN-OFFS Increased coordination between the school and service providers and increased collaboration in supporting families. IX. KEY WORDS Children, Youth, and Families Community Action Agency Community Development Block Grant Community Services Block Grant English-As-A-Second Language GED Head Start Kellogg Foundation Service Coordination ref: attntion.doc