$2.5 million contract to support communities adversely affected by coronavirus pandemic

Binghamton University has received a $1.25 million New York State Education Department (NYSED) contract that will expand the work of the Central/Western Community Schools Technical Assistance Center (CSTAC), which facilitates the development and sustainability of community schools in the region.

Total awards have been made in the amount of $2.5 million in administrative funds from CARES Act funding to both Binghamton University and Fordham University to launch the New York State Cares for Communities (NYSCFC) initiative, designed to leverage support in identified communities most adversely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. NYSCFC will build upon existing resources and the experience of community-based and faith-based partners supporting regional capacity to address the needs of families related to the pandemic.

“The coronavirus has had a major impact on those who are economically disadvantaged within our communities, and this contract will help us continue to support families and students within our schools,” said Laura Bronstein, dean of Binghamton University’s College of Community and Public Affairs (CCPA). Bronstein is the principal investigator for the contract and oversees Binghamton University Community Schools.

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted New York’s students, who have suffered from protracted social isolation, struggled with remote learning, experienced personal and community loss of connection, witnessed ongoing civil unrest, been impacted by economic hardship and for many, lost loved ones. Through partnerships with community-based and faith-based agencies, NYSCFC will support the distribution of CARES Act funds so that services and support for students and families can be put in place without further undue suffering and lost instruction.

NYSCFC will partner with and convene community and faith-based organizations as well as school districts to leverage the resources and experience of community-based partners to build capacity for parent and family support, support school districts and build local capacity, and meet the social-emotional and mental health needs of students, families and staff members, with particular focus placed on addressing the needs of special populations and demographic groups most adversely impacted by the coronavirus. In addition to the distribution of CARES Act funds within communities, NYSCFC will work closely with the CSTACs to provide social-emotional and mental health professional development and training to school staff and community providers to further enhance this effort. Resources will be available through a NYSCFC portal on the CSTACs website.

This grant also provides support to the entire state, including the Southern Tier according to NYS Cares for Communities Director at Binghamton University Luann Kida. “With a primary focus on supporting students and their families around academic enrichment, social-emotional learning, mental health, digital literacy and family engagement, workshops and tools related to the needs students and families are facing during this pandemic will be available free of charge and readily accessible,” Kida said.

Regions eligible for NYSCFC support were identified based on economic disadvantage and the adverse impacts of the coronavirus. NYSCFC at Binghamton University will serve the following counties: Erie, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Schenectady, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester.

NYSCFC will expand the variety of services already provided through the NYSED CSTACs. With the goal of increasing statewide capacity to support effective Community School strategies, the CSTACs continue to serve all of NYS through consultation, training and support to school districts and community providers in three regions: the Central-Western CSTAC led by Binghamton University; the Eastern CSTAC led by Rockland 21C; and the New York City CSTAC led by Fordham University. For more information about this grant and the free services available through the NYSED CSTACs, visit nyscommunityschools.org.

For more information, contact Luann Kida, director of NYSCFC at Binghamton University, at 607-777-9282 or lkida@binghamton.edu; or Bronstein at 607-777-5572 or lbronst@binghamton.edu.