Community-in-Schools Partnership | La Plata Youth Services

Community-in-Schools Partnership Program

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Communities-in-Schools Partnership (CISP)

The Communities in Schools Partnership (CISP) is founded in the belief that schools are equipped to assess the needs of their students and the communities have the resources to meet those needs. By providing coordinated and accessible services, young people are able to develop a sense of belonging within their community, access vital resources, and form supportive, therapeutic relationships with caring and trusted, clinically trained adults. Through CISP program, we partner with school districts in La Plata County to provide school-based mental health and social-emotional support services to students who face barriers to accessing care through individual and group therapy sessions. Our goal is to improve overall youth wellbeing and resilience through collaboration with local agencies and community partners who provide therapeutic services to young people in a school setting. The CISP program is designed to help youth reach their full potential by:

Addressing underlying factors affecting youth mental health
Helping youth self-identify personal strengths and positive supports in their schools, homes, and communities.
Reducing barriers to accessing therapeutic services by providing school-based supports to students. Supporting youth and families by providing services in schools to reduce barriers to therapeutic services.

In 2022, 230 youth received in-school individual and group counseling in 13 schools. In the 2021-2022 school year, 68% of students involved in CMP had an increase in attendance and none entered the juvenile justice system while involved with CISP. The program currently operates in 15 schools across La Plata County.

Agencies providing services through CISP include private mental health providers, Four Corners Rainbow Youth Center, The Grief Center of Southwest Colorado, Sexual Assault Services Organization, La Plata Youth Services, and additional school resources.

CISP is based on the Communities in Schools (CIS) model pioneered by Bill Miliken in the 1970s. LPYS has taken the foundational underpinnings of this program and adapted this model to serve the needs of youth in La Plata County. For more information about this model, how it is being applied in schools across the nation today, and the overall impact of the program, please visit the Communities in Schools website.