CONNECTED INITIATIVE
Where it all began...
The Connected initiative began with a group of passionate Rome City School District teachers who recognized that hungry, tired, or worried students couldn’t fully engage in learning. They saw firsthand how food insecurity and unmet needs impacted classrooms every day and they decided to act.
What began as a small idea has grown into a coordinated effort to remove barriers and provide hope. Today, it’s a regional movement connecting more than a dozen districts, countless partners, and thousands of students and families to vital supports. Connected Site Coordinators lead the way, creating school communities and managing designated HUBs. These HUBs are safe spaces stocked with clothing, snacks, groceries, school supplies, hygiene items, and even tuxedos and prom dresses resources students may need every day.
By providing these supports through HUBs, teachers no longer carry the full burden of meeting these needs, allowing them to focus on teaching while Site Coordinators ensure students have what they need to thrive
The needs of the communities we serve have driven the need for an expansion of the initiative and the services and supports Connected offers. We started in one school district, in one school building seven years ago, and since then have expanded to 13 school districts, and more than 6 projects. Together, we are Connected.
CONNECTED COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
OUR MISSION
To partner with public School Districts to create Community Schools and to ensure that every student has their basic needs met, so that they may simply engage in their education.
WHAT IS A CONNECTED COMMUNITY SCHOOL? THE FOUR COMPONENTS OF A CONNECTEDCOMMUNITY SCHOOL:
A Community School is figuratively or physically hubbing all of your community services and resources into your school building. Our mission as Connected Community Schools is to partner with public School Districts to create Connected Community Schools and ensure that students and families have their basic needs met to be successful in their everyday lives and are inspired and supported by the Community.
How: Through collaboration with community and school partners, kept up through our constant mining of resources and partnerships, our Site Coordinators work together with the schools to create, schedule, and facilitate fun and engaging programming for our students and families.
CONNECTED CONNECTED
LINK is our single point of access for service delivery that connects students and families to the appropriate resources and services within their community based on identified needs. Student School Faculty/Staff
Across 13 Connected Districts, collaboration is the key to transformation. LINK was developed as the Single-Point-of Access to assist not only students with struggles and hurdles but their entire family. When a student or family member is identified to have a need, a LINK referral is made and immediately the family is engaged. The family is asked how can our Connected Site Coordinator who is embedded in each of our schools help them today as well as make tomorrow better for them. We are not here to put ‘band-aids’ on struggles, we are here to repair the root cause. Each success story is built on partnerships with over 400 local agencies, healthcare providers, businesses, faith groups, and volunteers—working side-by-side to meet student and family needs.
ntal health support, dental, housing, food mployment, all the way to career exploration s help ensure that every school becomes a nection and care coordination. From July 1, h June 30, 2025, our Connected Teams have er 4,270 LINK Team Referrals to help support students and their families.
FAMILY ENGAGEMENT
Classroom Programming
Attendees
Connected seeks to assist families with creating more positive experiences through fun and engaging activities with their children and their school, facilitating positive interactions with our staff and resulting in continued relationships and increased engagement in their children’s education. Connected never charges families and we are always conscious of such hurdles as transportation.
20,351
When a public school becomes a Connected Community School, those doors are open more! A Site Committee is established within each Connected School to strengthen collaboration and invite the community into the school environment. Working alongside this committee, the Connected Site Coordinator leads efforts to increase family engagement by planning and hosting events that are meaningful, enjoyable, and often educational, creating lasting connections between schools, families, and communities.
CLASSROOM PROGRAMMING
We are always striving to provide our students with the most engaging and creative education. By adding programming from our community partners, this brings hands-on learning and experiences straight from our experts of the community. Our teachers love the help and our students love the experiences!
Attendees
17,685
Connected HUBs are physical spaces within our Connected Schools that house a variety of tangible items such as snacks, grocery items, hygiene products, and school supplies, to meet the needs of our students and school community. They also provide a safe and engaging environment for student and community engagement through lunch or afterschool activities, learning opportunities, and the use of games from the Connected Fun Library!
14,760 hygiene products worth $138,157
49,961 pounds easy-to-prepare foods/meal items worth $554,921
10,656 before/after school meals for students worth $65,135
29,097 school supplies worth $189,031
2,239 clothing items worth $55,188
9,141 household items worth $83,214
8,966 Chobani Yogurt (cases) worth $195,791
10,600 classroom snack sets worth $101,577
175,481 snacks have been distributed to students worth $336,541
ive ice
This equates to a total of $1,719,554 worth of tangible items delivered to the Connected HUBs to meet students and families basic needs this year alone!
50,315
meaningful engagements which either resulted in a LINK Referral, or tangible items provided to students to ensure they could focus in class!
40,232 students have attended HUB Huddles this year!
AGGREGATE DATA
LINK REFERRAL IDENTIFIED NEEDS - YEAR TO DATE LINK REFERRALS
Our Connected Teams have supported 6,818 families through Active LINK Referrals since July 1st, 2024. The largest identified need was Food Insecurity From the 6,818 active referrals, our team made 22,922 engagements which included phone calls, in-person contacts, electronic correspondence and more! of families supported were Medicaid participants of families supported receive Food Stamps of families supported actively utilize Food Banks/Pantries at least once a month
OUTGOING REFERRALS TO SUPPORTS AND SERVICES
From July 1, 2024 until June 30, 2025, our Connected Team has supported families through 195,228 outgoing referrals to supports and services such as housing, mental health counseling, financial relief assistance and food insecurity relief We continue to meet individuals and families where they are in order to help them overcome all struggles and worries they are facing.
of families supported requested to be connected to mental health counseling supports
RESILIENCY
TheResiliencyProjectproposesthatthekeytosuccesswithchildrenandtheirfamiliesisthrough collaborativeapproachesinvolvingacaringandresponsiveteaminclusiveofallcommunitypartners includingDepartmentofSocialServices,School,voluntaryAgenciesandother“connected” organizationspublicandprivate,thatsupportyouthandfamiliesinvariousways.Thismethod leveragestheresourcesandexpertiseofeachagencyandprovidesamorecoordinatedapproachof servicedeliverythatincreasessuccessandpositiveoutcomes
TheResiliencyProjectseekstoengagefamiliesand workcooperativelytogetherwithinastrength-based serviceplanningmodel.Thepilotprogramis dedicatedtoservingtheRomeCitySchoolDistrict andCamdenCentralSchoolDistrict;andhasbeen instrumentalincreatingandstrengthening Connectionsbetweenthehome,schooland community.Theteambuildsonthestrengthsofthe familyandexistingsupportsbyutilizingand coordinatingallcommunityresourcestobestmeet theongoingneedsofthefamily.
Sincethelaunchofthepilotprogram,TheResiliency Projecthasbroadeneditsreachtoincludethe AdirondackandHollandPatentConnecteddistricts
FAMILY OPPORTUNITY CENTER
Family Opportunity Centers (FOCs) connect families with programs and resources that help build protective factors and support children in thriving both at home and at school. Through strong partnerships with parents, FOCs promote family engagement and empower caregivers to make informed choices that strengthen their families. The FOC team works to connect families with direct resources or community referrals, support caregivers in their roles, and foster informal networks that build stronger family connections.
Family Opportunity Center focuses on implementing strategies that promote individual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that prevent violence, such as education and life-skills trainings. It also strives to promote positive behaviors related to parenting, family-focused prevention programs, mentoring and peer programs, and prevention strategies in the social and physical- they do this through thoughtfully planned family engagement opportunities.
$34,494
121 referrals for families through Family Opportunity Center to be assisted with concrete needs (rent, utilities, etc.)
HERKIMER SYSTEM OF CARE
Herkimer County has teamed up with Connected Community Schools as part of the Herkimer County System of Care Initiative in order to provide Mental Health support and connections to Herkimer County Youth. The Youth Ambassador Coordinator will work with school administration, school staff and Connected Community Schools staff to identify students who could benefit from serving as an ambassador within their school district and community The Youth Ambassador Coordinator will organize and facilitate Youth Ambassador Councils across Herkimer County School districts and within the community. Monthly meetings will be held in order to organize and implement activities, events and programming related to Mental Health support and awareness. Youth Ambassadors may also have opportunities to coordinate with Youth Ambassador Councils across Herkimer County including the Annual Youth Summit.
Caregivers and their daughters join together in combined and age-appropriate groups to strengthen their bonds through shared listening, creative expression, and skill building. "Heart of the Matter" promotes empathy, communication skills, stress reduction, setting limits and honoring boundaries, exploring meanings and messages about female identity, identifying relationship accountability, and experiencing affirmation together and within their broader female community.
A Youth Ambassador Council is a rep individuals, typically teenagers o organizations, governments, or nonprofit decision-making. These councils promo develop leadership skills, and ad
SEALs
The SEALs initiative, along with the Connected Community Schools model, embodies the vision of the “Whole Child Design”. SEALs programming addresses the daily mental health needs of students with a trauma-informed preventative & proactive approach to addressing barriers preventing students from fully engaging in their education. Integrated Support Systems: Collaborative approach to providing additional social emotional support for students through group activities, check-ins, and an additional safe space in the school building for students to access supportive resources.
Development of skills, habits, and mindsets: group activities focus on executive functioning skills, healthy habits, growth mindsets, and coping
Positive developmental relationships: group activities that focus on friendship, confidence, conflict resolution, and peer support
Environments filled with safety and belonging: Connected Community Schools Hubs are a safe place that promote belonging and acceptance. Students may gain a sense of belonging through group activities and participation in clubs that promote kindness and school-wide awareness initiatives.
Rich learning experiences and knowledge development: Students learn self awareness and gain knowledge about their own strengths, accessible resources for help, and how to reach their goals This compliments Connected Community Schools classroom programming opportunities to further enrich learning through hands-on approaches.
101
one on one enagements with students who needed assistance with redirection to focus in the classoom and fully engage in their education
1,725 minutes spent with students on redirection to successfully integrate back into the classroom
98% success rate in students being successfully integrating back into the classroom after needing redirective support for disruptive behaviors
THE RIDE FOR MISSING CHILDREN
Connected plays a vital role in advancing the mission of The Ride for Missing Children-Mohawk Valley to promote child safety and support the prevention of child abduction and exploitation This position works in schools and community settings to deliver engaging, age-appropriate safety education programs, foster awareness of the Ride for Missing Children initiative, and create meaningful connections between students, educators, and the broader community.
The Ride for Missing Children Educator also offers internet safety training through NCMEC called NetSmartz. This interactive training, based on targeted age ranges allows students to be informed, aware and alert to possible dangers while online
80 mile ridepromotes bike safety NYS has 235 active missing children cases
Connected Adirondack continues to see a growing need as more families experience food insecurity, with rising grocery costs impacting access to consistent, nutritious meals
Chobani Giveaways: Over 7,152 cups of Chobani yogurt have been distributed to families in the Adirondacks, valued at $14,590 just in yogurt alone.
Connected Camden supports students and families through district-wide Resiliency programming and Family Opportunity Centers (FOC), helping to build strong coping skills and provide access to essential resources. From home to school and beyond, these supports create a network of care that empowers families and strengthens the overall well-being of the community.
TangibleItems
Raider BBQ
The Connect 4 Initiative utilizes peer to peer mentoring to empower students to support each other, creating a culture of encouragement, growth, and belonging. Students are paired with Peer Mentors who provide positive influence and meaningful support. Each peer mentor receives 8 weeks of training, led by your Connect 4 Coordinator. These trainings equip Peer Mentors with the skills to guide, support, and inspire their peers effectively.
Attendees
The Raiders BBQ brought students, families, and staff together for a fun and welcoming community event. Through food and connection, the event created meaningful opportunities to strengthen relationships and build a sense of belonging.
Data shows continued growth in family engagement, classroom programming, and Mobile Open HUBs, reflecting a strong connection between schools and the communities they serve. These efforts highlight the impact of meeting families where they are and expanding access to meaningful supports beyond the classroom.
With just one team member, Connected Dolgeville has facilitated an impressive number of LINK referrals and engagements/actions, highlighting the strength of focused, relationship-driven work.
Engagements/ Actions
2,486 taken
Connected Dolgeville’s annual Bike Rodeo continues to grow each year, with four successful events reaching over 200 participants in total. This event promotes bike safety while bringing students and families together for a fun, engaging community experience.
PicturePerfect&Present: SeniorPhotos&AttendanceIncreases
Herkimer Connected was tasked with focusing on addressing chronic absenteeism. Through personalized outreach, collaboration with school staff, and connections to community resources, Herkimer Connected is working to remove barriers that may prevent students from attending regularly. These efforts include check-ins with students, family engagement, and targeted supports such as transportation assistance, access to basic needs, and academic encouragement.
Six participants had the opportunity to receive professional senior photos at no cost, saving their families a total of $1,800.
SUCCESS STORY:
The Herkimer Connected Team saw an average of a 34% attendance increase in the students who were chronically absent.
with the Connected Team for t letters to residents at the thening communication skills.
munity connections, including ongoing partnerships with Colgate University and collaborative projects with student teams. Their popular PJs & Pancakes program combines fun and literacy, and the Connected team of one even secured a donated hot air balloon, showing creativity and dedication in making memorable experiences for students.
Classroom Programming
$14,560 hours 416 volunteers 172
$13,401 in tanglible items in volunteer time
Donations
We are proud to support our migrant farming community by providing essential food resources to those who work tirelessly to feed others By adapting our approach to meet accessibility needs such as flexible distribution method
Connected Rome’s LINK Referral Support connects individuals and families to critical resources, ensuring no need goes unmet. Through consistent follow-up and strong community partnerships, the team helps turn referrals into meaningful support and real solutions.
3,309 referrals received
10,460 engagements made to support referrals
Connected Sherburne-Earlville recognized a growing need for food and school supplies and responded by connecting students and families to support through LINK referrals. Their efforts ensure essential needs are met so students can focus on learning and success.
Your Future Fridays prepares students for life beyond the classroom through career exploration, skill-building, and meaningful opportunities. Originally launched in Connected SherburneEarlville, the program continues to grow, helping students build confidence and plan for their futures.
Connected Waterville’s Passion Fair gives students the chance to explore their interests and build confidence by sharing what matters to them. Later in the year, holiday photos create meaningful moments for students and families, fostering connection and a strong sense of belonging together, these experiences help build a school community where both students and families feel seen, supported, and celebrated.
The Connected Court on James Impact Center is home to incredible collaborative programs. This project combines the staff, resources and expertise of Oneida County Department of Family & Community Services, Rome Alliance for Education, Central NY Health Home, Connect-Ed and Safe Schools Mohawk Valley. The Connected Court on James is in the “old” Rome City Hall – a building with much historical significance. This was taken into consideration. during the planning and rehabilitation of this beautiful architectural structure. Painstaking time was spent to ensure that numerous points of construction were historically accurate and reflective of the historical time frame. Later, a fun, colorful and warm design was added to ensure the space was welcoming. The focus is to "give this building back to the people of Rome." We are calling the building the “Connected Court on James”.
46,000
15,000+
COMMUNITY IMPACT
July 16th, 2024 is a day the city of Rome will never forget. It was the day an EF-3 Tornado ripped through the city leaving a trail of devastation in its path. Our 207 Connected Impact Center and Central HUB was in its path with about a dozen staff in it at the time. When our team was able to come out after the hit, it was immediately apparent that the devastation was simply unimaginable. By 9am Wednesday morning with no power, no hot water and our surroundings still in devastation we announced a hot breakfast. One tiny grill turned into a couple large ones. Breakfast served 200. By lunch with hot dogs from our Central HUB- we
were up to 1200. And by dinner there were 2500 meals served. We expanded basic food to all basic needs that afternoon, navigating dark hallways on three floors with no elevator. Hygiene supplies were added, our LINK was quickly circulated to all school families. Staff began arriving from many of our Connected Districts. Oneida County, MCAT and many other service organizations joined us setting up tables on the closed street, somehow overcoming the navigation of entering the City which was now closed. Through the help of our Connected Community, we were able to provide over 46,000 meals.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, our Connected Initiative played a critical role in supporting the community by distributing more than 1.1 million pounds of food to individuals and families in need. At a time of unprecedented uncertainty and hardship, this effort helped ensure consistent access to essential resources, reducing food insecurity for countless households. Through strong partnerships and a deep commitment to community well-being, the initiative was able to respond quickly and effectively to the evolving needs of those we serve
The Connected Team quickly pivoted in the final weeks of June to support over 2,000 individuals who came through between June 23rd and 27th who experienced devastation by tornados and other storm damage that occurred on June 22nd. We were able to guide families through the process of applying for SNAP recovery funds for lost food due to power outages, apply for Community Foundation funds for storm damages, meet with multiple mental health providers, pick up bottled water . During this week, the Impact Center also served as a Oneida County and City of Rome officially designated cooling and charging station to help the community get through the 95+ degree weather and lack of power for cooling and air conditioning that was ongoing
In August, we held our initiative-wide Back to School Bash in partnership with National Grid 1,300 students from our Connected Districts were able to receive the school supplies needed according to their teachers’ lists. About 3,000 individuals were in attendance to learn about the Community Partner resources, have a meal, and enjoy a variety of activities alongside the school supply giveaway! Thanks to our partnership with National Grid, students were able to start the school year prepared and ready to go!
Through the collective efforts of donors, community partners, and dedicated volunteers, the Connected Holiday Assistance Program supported a total of 1,576 children during Holiday Assistance Shopping this season With an estimated $59,000 in donated toys and gifts, this milestone reflects the generosity and commitment of our community-wide network, working together to ensure students across our Connected districts experienced the joy, care, and support they deserve during the holiday season.
