CIS of Petersburg: How School-Based Support Enhances Early Childhood Development
Throughout the summer, Robins Foundation’s new Administrative and Operations Coordinator, Annaliese Santana, interviewed eight inspiring community leaders as part of the Foundation’s “Partner Spotlight” initiative. This initiative provides a platform for grantees to highlight their important work in early childhood development and for Robins Foundation to recognize the incredible efforts and successes of our partners.
For Annaliese’s final summer interview, she jumped on a virtual call with John Brown, a School-Based Coordinator for Communities in Schools (CIS) of Petersburg. John works at Westview Early Childhood Education Center, a public school in Petersburg. In this school alone, CIS of Petersburg serves over 400 preschool students.
CIS of Petersburg assigns site coordinators to all Petersburg Public Schools to better understand and support student needs and promote student wellbeing. Because of these impactful leaders, a majority of CIS students experience drastic improvements in school attendance, academics, and school-wide behavior. During the interview, John provided poignant insights on the importance of social-emotional learning, healthy relationships, and school-based support in advancing early childhood development.
Can you please describe, at a high level, what CIS of Petersburg does?
Our mission is to surround students with communities that support them and empower them to stay in school and achieve in life. To use our resources, the kids are referred to us by either their teachers or principle. What we want to do is to bridge the gap between communities and schools; I like to call us a “one-stop shop.” While we bridge this gap, we also partner with local businesses and mental health resources, and we’re there to provide anything that the students may need during the school year.
Can you talk about what motivates you to do this work?
When I was in fourth grade, I struggled with reading comprehension and testing. I used to get sweaty and my hands used to shake. When I took a test, my mind would just go blank. But, my fourth grade teacher was so nurturing and she believed in me; she believed that I could achieve my goals. That teacher, along with my parents, who were teachers and worked in the education system for over 30 years, showed me that working in youth development was what I wanted to do in life.
The youth are the future of the world and my biggest focus is being a positive example. I want to be that positive light that a kid may not have elsewhere, just like that fourth grade teacher was for me. I want to give them somebody who believes in them and gives them hope.
CIS of Petersburg provides an in-school program called Sesame Street, which advances early childhood development. Can you explain what this program does?
With COVID, a lot of people’s mental health was impacted, including the mental health of our little ones. When little kids enter CIS, a lot of them struggle with social-emotional learning. Most little ones have gone everywhere with their parents and school is the first time they’re by themselves. So, part of our services at CIS is our Sesame Street program. This program actually happens during the school hours, so all the little ones can get that in-school support.
With the Sesame Street program, we connect little kids with videos that break down their emotions, identify why they’re feeling this way, and explain how they can work through their feelings. The program helps kids take that step, with Big Bird- I mean, who doesn’t love Big Bird? The kids also learn about building friendships in this program. I’ll give an example; one of my students didn’t understand why certain kids didn’t play with him. The video we showed him basically explained how, while it hurts that somebody may not want to play with you, it’s okay to find another person to be friends with.
Coordinators are also trained in counseling. With this, we’re constantly meeting with our students and making sure that they’re on the right track, identifying emotions, and helping them work through their emotions.
On your website, your mission statement emphasizes the importance of healthy relationships between adults and children in advancing achievement. Can you describe why these relationships are so essential?
In building a relationship with a child, the child needs to know that you care. You’ve got to learn about them, have time with them, and let them talk. I work with Westview Early Childhood Education Center, a preschool, so a lot of the kids are really into Batman, Robin, all that stuff. After learning about their interests, you can dig deeper and actually identify who they are and understand what they’re going through. These relationships are all about giving them a platform where they can express themselves and where you can also help them. One thing I love doing is teaching them life skills. It could be something as simple as how to tie a shoe. That’s something that they carry for the rest of their life. That being said, these healthy relationships give the kids a little small nugget that helps them achieve their goals.
Can you talk about how your early childhood education programs provide a community for young children?
We usually see communities start to grow during the first week of school, when we gather all our students in a group-setting. At first, there’s always that awkward silence and they stare at each other like, “Who are you?” But once they warm up to each other and find common interests, they gravitate to each other. It’s brilliant. Especially for kids who come in during the middle of the year; they come into our program and they already have a group to support them. Our programs are meant to give kids a community, so they won’t be scared without knowing anybody.
What do you wish more people understood about the communities you serve or the work that you do?
It takes a village to bring about change, and change takes time. I hope that everyone can improve on cultivating community so that we can work towards the greater good and bring about change.
CIS of Petersburg works with students and additionally provides support in the community, specifically to those experiencing food insecurity. Can you please talk about how your programs at CIS serve unmet needs in the community?
For all CIS students in Petersburg Public Schools, 81% improved in attendance, 91% of CIS students improved in academics and 89% of CIS students experienced improvement in school-wide behavior. In addition to our work in schools, we distribute food in the community every Wednesday of every month. We usually do these “giveaways” at the Good Shepherd Baptist Church after the school day is done. This is where families can get produce, frozen foods, dry food, or anything else. We also do our outreach program where we give out school supplies and provide meals too.
Finally, we have our family engagement nights. Here, we have an instructor that teaches families how to tutor their child at home and help families identify different math and reading skills. In this program, we also provide families with food so they don’t have to prepare a meal that day. When families are engaged, making sure their child is getting the knowledge that they need, and are building a relationship with teachers and administrators, their child is in a better state. A child will succeed when they have a strong support system.
Can you please talk about how Robins Foundation has supported CIS of Petersburg?
The Robin Foundation has been a very generous sponsor. They have supported us by donating materials and furniture and spent time with us at school. In fact, Robins Foundation gave us funding that supports my position at Westview. This partnership is vital to our overall success and for our students to achieve their goals. We appreciate their involvement in our program and we look forward to working with them in the future.
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To volunteer, donate, or learn more about how CIS of Petersburg serves the community by clicking this link: https://cisofpetersburg.org/
