Client Story
Connecting the Dots for Community Schools
A Partnership between Santa Cruz COE and Heartwise Learning
who
Santa Cruz County Office of Education
Supports 10 public school districts and nearly 38,000 TK–12 students countywide. About 54% of students qualify for free or reduced price meals; 23% are English learners.
The Goal
Strengthen the county's community school ecosystem
Support CCSPP grantees while building greater coordination, coherence, and collaboration within the COE and across whole-child serving agencies.
The Challenge
Connect the dots across districts, departments, and school sites
With grantees spread across the county, the COE needed a partner who could bridge systems-level strategy and on-the-ground support simultaneously.
“When we met Kendra and Cristina and learned about Heartwise and the work already going on in Pajaro Valley Unified, we felt their values and approach to the work were really aligned with us.”
Hayley Newman — School Climate and Wellness Manager, Santa Cruz COE
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The Plan
What We Offered
Heartwise partnered with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education to strengthen both countywide coordination and on-the-ground support for districts and schools. The work focused on helping teams connect efforts across departments, deepen collaboration with districts, and grow the capacity needed to sustain community school implementation.
Heartwise also helped extend the COE’s technical assistance capacity by supporting districts completing their CCSPP applications, assisting with annual progress reporting, and offering guidance to grantees as they strengthened their implementation.
“My experience with Heartwise has been very supportive and communicative. It’s been focused on what is needed by the grantees and also training me up on what that means and how I can be present for our school sites.
Hayley Newman, Santa Cruz COE
The Work
Working Together
A central part of the collaboration has been building a countywide Community of Practice for Community School Specialists. Together, Santa Cruz COE, Pajaro Valley Unified School District, and Heartwise launched a Community of Practice that brings specialists together regularly to share learning, strengthen implementation, and build connections across the county.
Heartwise also supported internal alignment within the COE through listening sessions and facilitated discussions with the Student Support Services Department — exploring how departments coordinate their supports, gather input from districts, and measure meaningful impact beyond compliance metrics. Regular check-ins help keep the work aligned and responsive.
“Starting with our Student Support Services Department first and growing outward instead of trying to have everyone on the same page all at once has really worked well for us. It made it more doable to take things in stages.”
Hayley Newman, Santa Cruz COE
The Impact
What Changed at Santa Cruz COE
Stronger Internal Alignment
The Student Support Services Department organized around shared goals, developed a coordinated operations plan, and began shaping a clearer long-term vision for its work.
A Connected Community of Practice
Now in its second year, the countywide Community of Practice creates a consistent space for community school specialists to connect, learn, and strengthen their work across districts and school sites.
Deeper County–District Relationships
The county’s connection with Pajaro Valley Unified has grown stronger through the collaboration — and was spotlighted as a model by the Regional Technical Assistance Center.
“I look forward to my meetings with Kendra. At the county level I wear many hats, so it’s been really helpful to have her as a thought partner who reminds me of things in a kind and supportive way. I have full faith and trust that good things are happening in the field, even if I’m not there — and that’s worth its weight in gold.”
Hayley Newman · School Climate and Wellness Manager, Santa Cruz COE