Binghamton University Community Schools expands to Harpursville
By Laura Reindl
Oct. 24, 2018
Harpursville Central School District is the latest regional school district to join the Binghamton University Community Schools (BUCS) initiative. This university-assisted community schools model connects school districts with various university resources so they are able to provide more services and programs to support children and their families during and after school hours. The Center for Civic Engagement works with Stephanie Davy, a community schools coordinator placed in the Harpursville school district, to provide interns and volunteers to support these efforts.
Partnership benefits students and families
Five months into the partnership, Pamela Horton, director of instruction at Harpursville says they are already seeing benefits. "We have been thrilled with our connection to [Binghamton's] MSW interns and their impact on our students and staff, the undergraduate volunteers, and the wealth of resources and knowledge that [Binghamton] continually offers our district and community."
Currently four interns in the master's of social work program are placed in the school district. They work with students district-wide who have been identified by teachers as likely to benefit from additional social-emotional support and mentorship.
Horton says that Davy has also been instrumental in engaging families and connecting them with resources in the community, connecting them to food and clothing pantries and referring them to local organizations such as the Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts for recreational activities and the Mothers and Babies Perinatal Network for facilitated enrollment in insurance. Davy is also helping coordinate the district's Fall Festival, a Halloween-themed event with a variety of fun games and activities for families.