Nearly one in three children in high-need schools are not ready for kindergarten, and two in three third graders aren’t reading on grade level.
When schools have the resources they need and can offer them in a coordinated manner, kids’ academics and social-emotional wellbeing will thrive. United Way Community Schools support student success in the region’s highest need schools by removing barriers to education, so students, families and communities can thrive. Each school is staffed by a full-time Community School Coordinator who addresses basic needs, promotes family engagement, builds partnerships and coordinates services.
As a hub of its neighborhood, Community Schools focus on students’ basic needs and build trusting relationships with children and their families by offering a range of services that include:
- basic needs support such as food, clothing, toiletries and school supplies
- connections to critical resources such as healthcare and housing
- on-site physical, mental and behavioral health services
- academic engagement experiences such as field trips and after-school programming
- parent engagement workshops and activities
A Model that Works
United Way Community Schools continue to receive national recognition from sources such as the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, the Coalition for Community Schools and the U.S. Department of Education. In 2022, U.S. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited the region to learn how to scale our local initiative in other communities across the country.
Over the past year, Community Schools reported:
- Improved academic growth
- More students’ and families’ basic needs met
- Increased student and family engagement
- Improved attendance and behavior
- Improved school culture
UNited way Community Schools
Allentown School District
Brigadier General Anna Mae
Hays Elementary School
Central Elementary School
Francis D. Raub Middle School
Harrison Morton Middle School
Hiram W. Dodd Elementary School
Jackson Early Learning Center
Jefferson Elementary School
Mosser Elementary School
Ramos Elementary School
Roosevelt Elementary School
Sheridan Elementary School
South Mountain Middle School
Trexler Middle School
Union Terrace Elementary School
Washington Elementary School
Bangor Area School District
Bangor Area High School
Bangor Area Middle School
DeFranco Elementary School
Five Points Elementary School
Washington Elementary School
Bethlehem Area School District
Broughal Middle School
Donegan Elementary School
Fountain Hill Elementary School
Freemansburg Elementary School
Lincoln Elementary School
Marvine Elementary School
Northeast Middle School
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
William Penn Elementary School
Easton Area School District
Cheston Elementary School
Easton Area Middle School
Paxinosa Elementary School
Panther Valley School District
Panther Valley Elementary School
Salvaggio Academy
“This is a model that works. They’ve invested time and energy into creating a structure where community partners are welcomed into schools.”
Dr. Miguel Cardona
U.S. Secretary of Education
Community School Partners
Air Products
AMETEK
CAI
Dan and Susan Barnes
Brown-Daub Family of Dealerships
Capital Blue Cross
City Center Group
Communities In Schools of Eastern Pennsylvania
Crayola
Follett Corporation
Just Born Quality Confections
Lehigh University
Bob and Sandy Lovett
Moravian University
Northampton Community College
Northstar Construction
PPL Corp.
Bill and Denise Spence
St. Luke’s University Health Network
Topper Foundation
U.S. Department of Education
UWGLV TeenWorks
UWGLV Women United
Victaulic
more students regularly attending school
Increase in Family Engagement at school events
improved family stability with increased access to basic needs
Leader in Me empowers students, staff and families with the mindset and skills to be life-ready leaders.
Everyday attendance has been shown to set the pattern for how kids will continue to value attending school each year.
Lehigh Valley Reads works to ensure all Lehigh Valley students are reading on grade level by the end of third grade.
In the News
The Power of Reading: How United Way Community Schools Are Inspiring a Love for Learning
This Read Across America Week, United Way Community Schools are celebrating the power of reading—helping students grow, imagine and succeed.
HNL Lab Medicine and United Way Launch New Community School Partnership with Allentown School District to Advance Student Success
HNL Lab Medicine becomes corporate partner with ASD’s South Mountain Middle School to provide funding for staffing and resources to meet students’ and families’ basic needs, increase school attendance and improve engagement.