• The community schools model offers regular academic programs to day students and operates additional programs and services year round.
• Integration of the regular day-school programs and community programs may become almost seamless.
• Programs may be funded by multiple partners and benefit not just the school community but also the community at large. They are based on needs and priorities identified by both the school and the broader community. Key components are capacity building and a community-development approach.
• Academic, recreational, cultural and family support services and many other programs and services are offered for all age levels in the community.

• Governance typically includes an advisory group, council or non-profit society that has representation beyond parents and school staff, with a wide range of community people as well as local or regional service providers. Ideally, the society has charitable tax status, which allows access to a wide range of funding opportunities.

• In addition to regular school staff, there is typically a full-time coordinator who is part of the leadership team in the school and one or more assistants.
• The coordinator may have a background in, for example, teaching, social work, youth and child care work or community development. Coordinators are able to work collaboratively with school staff, the community and municipal bodies. The coordinator is able to develop, evaluate and supervise programs and has strong administrative abilities.

• Programs and services are offered, located and scheduled in response to input from the users of the program, school staff and all relevant partner service providers.
• Formal and informal agreements on joint program planning, funding and evaluation are in place.
• Community-wide coordination of programs and services is an established practice.

Parents:

• act as advocates for student learning and well-being;
• participate in the visioning, planning, implementation and evaluation of programs and services, especially those directly relevant to parents;
• are involved in the governance body at either a board or committee level and assist with fundraising;
• become partners in education to support their children’s learning at home.

Students:

• offer feedback to administration and staff on programs and services;
• participate in the visioning, planning, implementation and evaluation of programs and services, especially those directly relevant to them;
• are involved in the governance body at either a board or committee level and assist with fundraising.

Community members, including individuals, businesses, non-profit organizations and service providers:

• advocate for lifelong learning and social support for all ages;
• offer feedback to all staff on programs and services;
• participate in the planning and evaluation of programs and services;
• volunteer or are paid to instruct in the school or at other program locations;
• are involved in the governance body at either a board or committee level and assist with fundraising.

The community school model serves all ages. The partners include early childhood staff and parents; elementary, middle and senior secondary school staff, students and parents; community individuals; seniors; businesses; other non-profit organizations; and service providers and funders. Postsecondary institutions and other larger educational or social support agencies including various government ministries and several departments within each ministry may also be included in the list of partners.

The City of Surrey, the Surrey School District and the United Way have come together to form the Community Schools Partnership, which provides community services and funding for social programs used by people of all ages –just one example of how stronger communities can develop through closer partnerships.

• Collecting evidence of success in a community school is essential. The process involves samples of all programs and services and all participants, including funding partners.
• Evidence should be based on both hard data and stories of success.
• Many funding providers are moving towards the development and use of logic models to assess the effectiveness of money designated to support highly vulnerable children and families. The programs and services in these schools can be seen as contributing to the success of children and youth.

• Sustainability is much more than just funding: It requires significant staff and community leadership and time. Community schools are sustainable when they develop broad-based public support, diverse funding, evidence of student and family success and strong leadership with ongoing capacity building at all levels.
• Funding is typically a combination of tax-based support from the local school district and municipal or regional bodies, along with grants from, for example, foundations and gaming authorities. User fees may also provide significant funding.
• Leveraging of tax-based funds is common, with often as much as $3.00 being generated from every tax dollar spent for a community school operation.
• Community schools over the past three decades have been funded and shaped by funding from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Children and Family Development, municipal governments, gaming, foundations and local partnerships.

• Urban Community Schools: Burnaby School District has seven community schools. The coordinator in each of these community schools is a certified teacher. The school district has a longstanding shared funding agreement with the City of Burnaby while supporting and celebrating partnerships with a variety of community agencies, including Settlement Support Workers in Schools (SWIS), Burnaby Arts Council and Burnaby Minor Hockey Association.
• Rural and Remote Rural Community Schools: Many school districts have maintained this model over the past two decades. Community schools can be found on the Sunshine Coast and in Powell River, Comox Valley, Port Alberni, Bowen Island (West Vancouver District), Cariboo-Chilcotin, Kootenay Lake and Kootenay-Columbia. Edward Milne Community School in Sooke School District is a secondary model.
• The Family Model of Community Schools: Nanaimo School District offers two examples: the Harewood Family of Community Schools and the Cedar Community Schools. Each school in the family has a coordinator. A family of community schools is a partnership among a group of schools that includes at least one elementary and one secondary school and covers a specific geographical area. Students benefit from the lifelong learning community education approach that runs from Strong Start/kindergarten to grade 12 graduation and beyond. Community school staff collaborate on programming for all ages and utilize all schools to maximize learning, social, recreational and community-development opportunities.