Windsor Public Schools Receives $393,100 Grant from Hartford Foundation for Public Giving for Continued Support

The Windsor Public Schools district is beginning to see an increase in student achievement thanks in part to a Family and Community Partnership Plan funded by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. This initiative, funded with $393,100 from the Hartford Foundation this year, is designed to help the district partner with families and community stakeholders in support of raising student success.

Since the inception of the initiative, the Windsor Public Schools Office of Family and Community Partnership has implemented research-based strategies that are family and community “links to learning” including “Teachers and Parents as Partners (PARTNER) meetings” for parents of children in grades PK-5, new student-led parent conferences in grades 3-5, an early development instrument (EDI) project, and a home visit pilot project.

The mission of the home visit pilot project is to build the foundation of a trustful and collaborative relationship between teachers and families to effectively support learning and healthy development at school as well as at home.

"The continued partnership with the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving allows us to move forward our district-wide work on partnering with families to increase student academic success,” said Dr. Craig Cooke, Superintendent of Schools. “Our new Office of Family and Community Partnership, funded through this grant, is off to a great start and we are seeing the return on this investment."

Last year, Windsor’s new home visit pilot project included 36 teachers visiting a total of 111 families. Based on a recent survey, 95% of the parents indicated the home visit improved their relationship with their child’s teacher. In addition, 100% of parents and teachers stated they would recommend home visits to peers. Most importantly, 81% of teachers indicated they have seen improvement in the student’s performance since the home visits.

“These are the types of improvements we can expect to see when schools and school districts develop authentic relationships with students’ families and the surrounding community,” said Sara Sneed, director of education investments for the Hartford Foundation. “Parent involvement in special meetings once or twice a year is not enough. We are hoping to see ongoing family and community partnership with schools, supporting students’ educational experience in and out of school. Windsor is off to a great start in deepening its partnership practices with strong, visionary leadership setting the pace and expectations. We are pleased to be just a small part of their work.”“We are incredibly grateful to the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving for supporting this very important work in Windsor, said Russell Sills, Director, Office of Family and Community Partnership. We must develop true partnerships with our families if we want to maximize the learning of each of our kids. Funding from the foundation has allowed us to greatly expand and accelerate our work with families."

About The Hartford Foundation:
The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding communities. In 2015, the Foundation celebrated ninety years of grantmaking in the Greater Hartford region, made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations. It has awarded grants of more than $600 million since its founding in 1925. For more information about the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.

About Windsor Public Schools:
Windsor Public Schools serves nearly 4,000 students in the community of Windsor, Connecticut, a town located in north central Connecticut between Hartford and Springfield, Massachusetts. Windsor Public Schools is comprised of six schools: Oliver Ellsworth School, Poquonock School, Clover Street School, John F. Kennedy School, Sage Park Middle School, and Windsor High School. The mission of Windsor Public Schools is to develop the genius in every child and to create lifelong learners. For more information about the Windsor Board of Education and any of its schools, please visit www.windsorct.org.