Poughkeepsie Secures $2.5 Million Federal Grant to Scale Full-Service Community Schools

December 6, 2023 - The Poughkeepsie City School District has been awarded a $2.5 million Full-Service Community Schools grant from the U.S. Department of Education—one of the largest federal grants ever secured by the district. The five-year award will enable the district to scale its Community Schools Initiative across all five elementary schools, bringing comprehensive, wraparound services to students and families throughout the city.

Community based organization, The Art Effect, lead youth in an art activity during Friday Night Lights (photo courtesy: The Art Effect)

The Poughkeepsie Children's Cabinet played a critical role in supporting the district's successful grant application. The Cabinet worked closely with Poughkeepsie City School District leadership to develop the proposal and enlisted the assistance of national partners including the EdRedesign Lab at Harvard Graduate School of Education and the William Julius Wilson Institute at the Harlem Children's Zone. This partnership brought expertise in place-based, community-centered education models that informed the grant's vision for transforming how schools serve students and families.

Full-Service Community Schools operate on the principle that addressing barriers to learning—such as food insecurity, housing instability, and lack of access to healthcare—is essential to student success. The grant will fund coordinated support services, extended learning opportunities, family engagement programming, and partnerships with community organizations. By bringing resources directly into schools, the initiative aims to create hubs where families can access the support they need while strengthening connections between schools and the broader community. This approach aligns with the Children's Cabinet's mission to build coordinated cradle-to-career pathways that break cycles of intergenerational poverty.

Read the full story in the Times Union.