Community Schools Support
Building coherent strategies that align efforts, support staff, and center student success.
Your district just received community schools funding, and now you’re “in charge” of making it happen.
You’re excited… and a bit overwhelmed.
Expectations are high, timelines are tight, and next steps can feel unclear. You may be unsure what success even looks like — or how to support school sites that didn’t exactly ask for this work.
You’re looking for a path forward that feels coherent, sustainable, and aligned with your district’s values — not just another initiative to manage.
That’s where we come in.
We’ve supported community school efforts across all kinds of contexts — from small rural districts to large urban systems.
We help leaders see community schools not as one more initiative, but as a strategic way to deepen equity, build coherence, and better support students, families, and staff.
You don’t have to start from scratch or settle for a compliance-based version of the work.
Community schools can help you do the meaningful, integrated work you’ve wanted to do all along — and we’re here to help you do it with clarity and care.
We’ve worked alongside leaders at every level — from site teams to some of the country’s most forward-thinking district systems. Our founder is a nationally recognized expert with 15+ years in both research and real-world implementation. We bring that depth to every engagement, blending research and strategy with hands-on support that’s practical, collaborative, and rooted in care.
Site Capacity-Building
Community schools can’t succeed without strong site-level leadership — but principals and coordinators often step into this work without a clear sense of what it entails.
We help principals understand how community schools can strengthen the work they’re already doing, not just add more to their plate.
For coordinators, we offer clear, hands-on support to grow into a complex role — from needs and asset mapping to family engagement, school improvement planning, and building strong relationships with school leaders.
When these two roles are aligned and supported, the work becomes more coherent, collaborative, and sustainable.
Specifically, we can help you:
Provide foundational training and skill-building for new community school coordinators.
Build principal knowledge and capacity to lead a site’s community school transformation.
Strengthen site capacity for needs and asset mapping, community engagement, and continuous improvement.
Use practical tools to track whole child supports, engagement efforts, and strategic partnerships.
Foster role clarity and collaboration between principals and community school coordinators.
Support teams to prepare for grant reporting (e.g. APR) in ways that support learning and storytelling.
So site teams are equipped and empowered — not overwhelmed — and transformation can truly take root.
District Strategy & Advising
Community schools don’t run on passion alone — they need real alignment, planning, and support at the district level.
We help district leaders create the conditions for site success — aligning PD calendars, clarifying coordinator guidance, leveraging partnerships, and strengthening data systems.
We also help connect the dots across departments and initiatives, ensuring that community schools are integrated into broader efforts like SPSAs, MTSS, and CTE pathways — increasing alignment, reducing fragmentation, and sustaining the work beyond the funding window.
Our team can provide thought partnership, coaching, and guidance to help you:
Co-develop a districtwide roadmap that clarifies priorities, roles, and supports for community schools.
Strengthen professional learning, role clarity, and shared expectations to support consistent implementation across sites.
Align and coordinate community school strategy with broader district plans — from SPSAs and LCAPs to MTSS and CTE.
Build stronger data systems for whole-child development, progress monitoring, continuous improvement–and APR reporting.
Map and coordinate your partner ecosystem for greater alignment, impact, and sustainability.
Plan strategically for long-term sustainability through budgeting, staffing, and cross-departmental alignment.
So that sites aren’t left to figure it out alone — and the work has a real chance to last.
Tools, Systems, & Learning
You’re working to build something lasting — beyond a grant lifecycle — that will transform the way we show up for students and their families.
We help you develop lasting tools, systems, and everyday practices that make this vision real — fostering coordination, reflection, and lasting change grounded in equity and care.
We can help you:
Create role-specific implementation guides and planning tools to support consistency across schools.
Streamline partnership systems — like MOUs, onboarding, and data sharing — to reduce duplication and increase equity across sites.
Collaborate with your data team to design user-friendly dashboards and reflection tools that support continuous improvement and APR reporting.
Develop practical toolkits and protocols to codify best practices across sites.
Design inclusive needs and asset mapping tools that embed student and family voice into site-level planning and reflection.
Develop toolkits—like slide decks, protocols, and guides—to support site-level participatory budgeting and collaborative decision-making.
So that your community school investment outlasts the grant cycle — creating more responsive, coordinated, and enduring support for students and families.
Want to Learn More? Talk With Us
Whether you're exploring possibilities or already have a project in mind, we’ll help you sharpen your focus and explore smart ways to move forward.
Here’s how to take the next step — no pressure, no heavy lift.
1
Book a Call
Start by scheduling a quick, no-pressure call with the Heartwise team. Pick a time that works for you so we can learn more about each other and what you’re looking for.
2
We Explore Fit
We’ll ask some questions, listen closely, and learn about your goals and context. We’ll also share some initial ideas for how we might be able to help.
3
We Plan Next Steps
If it feels like a good match, we’ll follow up with a second session to co-design a scope of work based on your priorities. If not, we’re happy to point you towards other helpful resources.
*Curious about cost?
Most Heartwise projects range from $15,000–$80,000. We shape each scope of work collaboratively — pairing your priorities with the level of support it takes to reach them.
