District 49 isn’t a new partner to COSILoveYou. We’ve built a strong relationship over time. But this fall marked something new: D49 joined us in the School Connect village-building process.
Over the summer, principals and district leaders invested time in coaching and preparation. That preparation led to two September CAFEs, one in the Sand Creek Zone and one in the Falcon Zone.
CAFE stands for Community And Family Engagement. It is a process of training and invitation that leads to a roundtable discussion. School leaders share focused goals for students, families, and educators. Community partners listen, offer ideas, and identify practical ways they can help. The goal isn’t just to hold a meeting. It’s to begin connecting a group of people who will keep showing up for a school.
About 90 people attended each D49 CAFE. The two zones occupy different parts of the district and each has its own context and feel. But inside both rooms, the tables looked remarkably similar: principals, nonprofit leaders, business leaders, church partners, parents and other community members sitting together and talking about what their schools needed.
At the beginning of each gathering, I told the room, “It’s no accident that you’re sitting in the seat you’re sitting in.”
The principals had worked hard to fill those seats. The people in the room weren’t there to fill space. They were there because a principal or district leader believed they could become part of that school’s village.
After one of the CAFEs, a principal came up to me and said, “The right people were in the room.” She highlighted the Girl Scouts, who have continued to show up as strong partners for schools and communities. Because the right people were at the table, the group had a productive conversation and could begin identifying next steps.
I also watched a principal help a table right-size its goals. The ideas were good, but the dreams were beginning to outpace the capacity of a new and growing village. She listened and then encouraged them to aim for a win they could all accomplish, then use that momentum to reach the next one.
We don’t have to fix everything at once. We can choose one meaningful step, follow through, and let the momentum grow.
Some of the goals discussed in September centered on exposing students to more careers. Schools want students to meet adults working in trades, technology, finance, and many other fields. They want students to see options they may not encounter in their daily lives.
One principal talked about creating more spaces where students could dream. That means putting adults in front of students who will ask questions that cause students to think beyond where they are currently: Where do you want to go to college? What do you want to do after high school? What kind of car would you like to drive? Where would you like to live someday?
We encourage principals to prepare goals in three areas before a CAFE: students, families, and educators. One principal planned to share only one goal but had prepared three. Afterward, she told me the table had worked through all three because the people seated there kept offering thoughtful input and practical next steps.
These two CAFEs happened because D49 leaders put in the work long before anyone entered the room. They made time for coaching, named goals for their schools, and personally invited the people they believed needed to be at the table.
Then those community partners showed up. They listened, shared ideas, and agreed to take next steps with their schools. That is how a village begins: leaders willing to prepare and partners willing to step in.
We are grateful for the opportunity to walk alongside the Sand Creek Zone and Falcon Zones as they begin this work. Every school needs a village, and we love helping to build them.