Community Schools United is a community-wide strategy that aligns schools, families, and partners around one shared goal: student success. By transforming schools into hubs of coordinated support and opportunity, we ensure every child and every family has what they need to grow, graduate, and succeed.
Across the Chattahoochee Valley, families are working hard to build stable lives while facing real and persistent challenges. In some neighborhoods, as many as 80 percent of families are living in poverty. These challenges show up in classrooms every day through chronic absenteeism, lower academic readiness, and barriers to engagement. Schools see these realities clearly, but no single school or organization can solve them alone. That’s where Community Schools United comes in.
Launched by United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley in 2020, Community Schools United is one of the region’s most innovative and trusted investments in children and families. More than a program, it is a bold, long-term strategy that aligns schools, families, and community partners around student success.
Today, this work is active at Brewer Early Innovation Academy, Dorothy Height Elementary, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary, and Phenix City Elementary, where schools are evolving into centers of opportunity for the entire community. Each Community School serves as a neighborhood hub that connects families to coordinated supports, resources, and opportunities in a welcoming and accessible environment.
By building trusted relationships and aligning services, from basic needs to enrichment opportunities, Community Schools United is helping students come to school ready to learn while strengthening the systems surrounding them. Across the Valley, families, educators, and community leaders are seeing the impact firsthand. There is no other initiative in our region bringing together schools, nonprofits, businesses, and families at this level of coordination, trust, and long-term commitment to student success.
Every school has a dedicated Community School Coordinator to help connect students and families with resources, support, and opportunities. If you are a parent or family member looking for support or information specific to your child’s school, find your school below to get connected.
For general questions about Community Schools United, please contact us using the form below.
Mr. Jarvis Hamilton
Phone: 706-327-3255
Email Mr. Jarvis
Mr. Tray Jefferson
Phone: 762-246-7797
Email Mr. Tray
Mrs. Tamara R. Pizarro
Phone: 762-233-5775
Email Mrs. Tamara
Ms. Egypt Porter
Phone: 706-327-3255
Email Ms. Egypt
Community Schools expand opportunities for learning beyond the classroom through before, after, and summer programming that enriches and strengthens academics. Through partnerships and hands-on experiences, students build skills, deepen learning, and stay engaged year-round.
Community Schools build trusted relationships with families and community partners by creating opportunities for engagement, leadership, and shared decision-making. By prioritizing trust, respect, and access to resources, families are supported as essential partners in their child’s education and long-term success.
Community Schools bring together educators, families, students, and community partners to share responsibility in shaping school priorities and strategies. Through collaborative leadership and ongoing communication, this approach builds trust, strengthens coordination, and ensures decisions reflect the needs of the entire school community.
Community Schools deliver essential services through a whole-child, trauma-informed approach that helps remove barriers to learning and reduces the burden on families and educators. With dedicated coordination, students and families are connected to supports such as healthcare, mental health services, food access, and housing resources so students can stay present, focused, and ready to learn.
Community Schools United tracks progress across student outcomes, access to services, and family and community impact to ensure our work is making a meaningful difference. By continuously evaluating results, we strengthen how schools and partners work together and ensure students and families are receiving the coordinated support they need.
Explore our latest report to see Community Schools United in action: Impact Snapshot To-Date
At Dorothy Height Elementary, a new PAW Store initiative is doing more than improving attendance. It’s connecting families to meaningful support. By linking consistent school attendance with access to essential items like clothing and household goods, this program helps remove common barriers that prevent students from showing up and staying engaged.
This is what Community Schools United looks like in action. It aligns incentives, resources, and relationships to address real challenges families face so students can focus on learning.
Support students through mentoring, events, or classroom engagement.
Support resource rooms, student needs, and coordinated services.
Follow us for updates, impact stories, and ways to stay involved in Community Schools United.
