Youth Development Services

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Attendance Resource Centers - Project AIM

Philosophy, Purpose and Goals

We now know that school attendance problems are usually a symptom of other problems: difficult family situations, substance abuse, gang involvement, criminal activity, lack of school success and other issues.

Project AIM is a program designed to help students and their families improve school attendance, increase school engagement, and improve academic performance, thus lowering dropout rates, truancy and daytime crime in neighborhoods surrounding schools. Project AIM is provided by Panacea Services, Inc. at two locations within the city of Sacramento.

• The program is unique because it uses a holistic, rather than punitive approach to reducing truancy in schools. The process includes referrals for parenting classes, substance abuse counseling, and family counseling, job skill training for both the parents and youth and in/out patient drug treatment.
• For at-risk-youth, success in school comes through engaging not only the students, but also their families. To achieve this, the collaboration of schools, law enforcement community-based organizations, the community and families is crucial.
• The goal: To help the student achieve consistent school attendance toward a successful education.

Project AIM (Attendence Intervention Management) is funded by a federal earmark grant from the Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

How does the process work?

1. Young people discovered in the community and considered truant are brought to the Project A.I.M. Center.

2. A Project AIM Counselor meets with the student, reviews their school attendance record and conducts an evidence-based needs assessment with the student to determine underlying issues possibly causing the attendance problem.

3. The Project AIM Counselor also contacts the student’s family and encourages their involvement as a vital part of the solution.

4. After completing the triage and referral process to any services deemed necessary, the student is returned to school or released to parents. Project AIM staff may also make contact with student’s school site staff and initiate attendance contracts between the school and family providing checks and balances for monitoring the student’s attendance.

Attendance Resource Center Locations

Serving:

• Sacramento Unified School District: Genesis High School/Serna Campus, 5735 47th Ave, Sacramento, CA 95824

Contact:

• Denise Curl, City of Sacramento, 916-808-6204, dcurl@cityofsacramento.org
• Trisha Seastrom, Panacea Services, Inc., 916-854-4564