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Tami Krzeszewski-Conway is the Community Schools Director for Edison Elementary School. Below, Tami goes into detail on what a community schools director does, day-to-day!

What do you do at the Achievement Center of LECOM Health?

I am the Community School Director at Edison Elementary.  I am employed by the Achievement Center of LECOM Health, but live full time at the school.  The Community School model leverages partnerships in the community to support student success.  While the Achievement Center of LECOM Health is my employer and Edison’s lead partner, I am also accountable to several other stakeholders including Erie Public’s Schools, Edison administration, GE (corporate partner) and Boys and Girls Club (neighborhood center partner).  My job is dynamic and multifaceted, but the main goal is to leverage and coordinate resources in the community to meet the needs of our students, families and community members.  The ultimate goal of meeting these needs is to improve student success.

What do you do every day or most days?

My daily day often looks different.  Some days are filed with meetings with community members discussing different programs or resources that would meet a specific need at the school.  Other days are filled with interacting with school staff to problem solve, remove barriers, and begin to strengthen various systems within the school.  I often find myself in a problem solving role, helping families connect with needed resources and services.  The days are filled and go by fast, but the most important part of my role is relationship building with all stakeholders.

How does your job help the Agency or the clients that we serve?

My position helps bring the Agency and services into a school.  There are students and families in need of services but often cannot access services due to various barriers such as transportation, time and awareness.  By having services such as a mental health outpatient satellite and behavior support services team located right in school, students are able to access and receive treatment quicker and more efficiently.  Prior to becoming a community school, it was often a difficult and arduous process to link services and resources to families.

What’s the best part about your job?

The best part of my job is building relationships.  I have the opportunity to meet amazing students, families and community members every day.  Through the development of relationships, I often find myself being the bridge between students, parents, teachers and resources in the community.  I am beyond grateful to have the opportunity to connect with people in such a meaningful and impactful way.