PRESS KIT

Communities In Schools of Mid-America surrounds students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

Communities In Schools (CIS) of Mid-America is part of the nation’s largest organization dedicated to empowering at-risk students to stay in school and on a path to a brighter future. We do whatever it takes to ensure that all kids – regardless of the challenges they may face – have what they need to realize their potential. With its central office in Lawrence, KS, the CIS of Mid-America network currently provides services in more than 60 schools to approximately 39,000 students each year by placing individuals directly inside the schools to work with students.

Founder Bill Milliken began Communities In Schools in New York City in the 1970’s. He came up with the idea of bringing community resources inside public schools-where they are accessible, coordinated and accountable. “It’s relationships, not programs, that change children,” Bill once said. “A great program simply creates the environment for healthy relationships to form between adults and children. Young people thrive when adults care about them on a one-to-one level, and when they also have a sense of belonging to a caring community.”

Over 40 years into our mission of surrounding students with communities of support, Bill’s principle continues to guide our work and serves as a beacon for the next chapter in our history.

CIS of Mid-America celebrated its 25^th anniversary in 2020. It was established as CIS of Kansas in 1995 and, in 2014, became the first CIS state office to establish regional affiliates embedded in our 501(c)3. What began as a statewide network in 1995 serving communities across the state of Kansas now also serves communities in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Missouri.  As an affiliate of the national non-profit Communities In Schools, this regional approach allows CIS of Mid-America to streamline its services to struggling students and their families.

Communities In Schools (CIS) of Mid-America currently provides services to more than 39,000 students each year by placing individuals directly inside the schools to work with students.

Our mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. CIS of Mid-America staff helps lessen the burden on teachers by working with at-risk students so that teachers can focus on teaching. We can do this because we are in schools all day every day and see the unique needs of each student, so we partner with teachers and the community to address them. We also do not charge a fee for our services/support to students and their families.

Communities In Schools of Mid-America is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and has received the Gold Seal of Transparency by Goldstar. All donations are tax-deductible.

Communities In Schools (CIS) of Mid-America is governed by a Board of Directors who are leaders in the communities we serve, representing a variety of fields. Board members serve without pay.