ADM 11: Use of Community Resources

Overview

Collaborative partnerships between schools and outside community organizations help support quality learning environments and are focused on positive child and family outcomes. Research has shown that students in programs where these partnerships exist generally have higher grades, attendance rates, and levels of motivation (National Center on Safe, Supportive Learning Environments). 

Having a plan for identifying and working with community partners places priority on ensuring children and families have access to quality experiences and additional resources, services, programs, and opportunities these organizations may offer.

Requirement

Level 4:

The school identifies and works with three or more community partners, including local public library services and child care programs.

Documentation to upload: Statement describing how the school identifies and works with three or more community partners, including local public library services and child care programs

The next level only has a few additional requirements.
Take a look at Level 5 – you may be closer than you think! 

Build a Statement

Develop a statement describing how the school identifies and works with community partners. The Reflection Questions below will help you consider what the program does to capture it when creating the statement. After reflecting, you are ready to build your statement.

Reflection Questions

  1. Who/what are the community partners your school is currently engaged with?
  2. How are potential community partners identified?
  3. How does the school partner with and utilize the local public library?
  4. How does the school collaborate with local child care programs in the area?

After reflecting on the questions, you have the option to download and save the Community Resources Template and create your statement.

If you need more support writing a statement on Developmental Screening procedures, use Writers Tips and Prompts to find examples and get more guidance.

Next Steps

  • Review your Use of Community Resources statement to ensure that three or more community partners are described.
  • Log into the Maryland EXCELS System to upload your program’s Use of Community Resources statement.
  • Submit for review.

Additional Resources

    • Maryland Child Care Resource Network Contact your local child care resource center for assistance in finding and accessing resources. Resource centers offer guidance on the types of resources available to support the families and children in your program.
    • Maryland Families Engage This website was developed to help build a community of support for those who care for and work with young children.