The City Connects model ensures that every child is seen and known. This work goes beyond academics because the heart of an educational journey often lies in the unseen moments: a shift in confidence when a student learns a new skill on the playground, or a transformative mentorship that opens doors to new possibilities.
As we enter the new school year, Dedham Public Schools and City Connects are entering their third year of partnership. After two years of implementation, a quiet transformation is taking root. With Dedham’s dedication to student well-being and City Connects’ systematic framework, the district is looking to ensure every child is supported, inside and outside the classroom.
Cultivating Mindsets and Enriching Opportunities
As I walked through the halls of Dedham’s elementary schools, I immediately could see the commitment to student well-being on display, in full color. Bright bulletin boards prompt a shift in mindset for students with daily visual cues that reflect a focus on resiliency. From swapping “I’m not good at this” for “I’m still learning,” words of inspiration turn into lived experiences and help equip students with the tools to persevere. Words of encouragement line the stairwell, offering a gentle reminder of inner strength with every step upwards. Outside on the playground, a buddy bench stands ready to welcome all children, fostering an inclusive and supportive environment across every corner of the school. Sprinkled throughout the campus, these thoughtful touches cultivate an ecosystem of emotional safety where students can feel valued, confident, and empowered to excel.
City Connects helps organize and elevate this work by connecting each school community’s priorities to network partners that can help expand support for its students. At a City Connects community partnership event Dedham’s City Connects leadership reflected on the power of these connections to provide actionable ideas to Dedham Public Schools:
“The panel was a fabulous opportunity to meet with partners in the community. We learned about other organizations and how we can strengthen school belongingness, student success, and positive relationships with families… I think we’ll go back to Dedham Public Schools with a couple of great ideas and different community partners I’ve never heard of, including how to build in more movement among our youth and another around building positive self-esteem.”
– Dr. Ashley Dubé, Director of Counseling and Clinical Services (PreK-12), Dedham Public Schools
That vision was quickly realized. Drawing on ties forged at the community partner panel event, Dedham connected with organizations like Girls in Gear, a program that works with girls of all ages and abilities to help them build a foundation of lifelong physical and emotional wellness. The program meets once a week to teach students safe riding skills, leadership development, and how to build friendships.
“The program really focuses on helping girls become strong leaders. Even when it’s raining, they do other activities to learn about leadership, finding your voice, advocating, and resiliency,” said Dedham’s City Connects Program Manager Ali Lukoff.
Seeing these partnerships in action, I was struck by how deeply attuned Lukoff is to the pulse of the student body. She brings a palpable excitement to her work aligning community partnerships to students’ interests, ensuring that enrichment opportunities are not just available, but meaningful and responsive to the students’ own voices.
By elevating student voices to shape opportunities, the words of encouragement that line the hallways take root in chances to try a new sport, make new friendships, and learn new skills.
Building Bridges of Whole-Child Support
This attention to cultivating students’ opportunities is matched by quieter forms of daily relational support. Students can process emotions and feel grounded through low-pressure outlets, whether it’s spending a quiet moment reading alongside the school’s emotional support dog, writing a note to drop in its hallway mailbox, or recharging in a light-filled calm space to self-regulate. By integrating intentional, restorative support into the school day, the hope is that every child can receive the comprehensive, personalized support they need to be ready to learn and succeed.
While educators in Dedham have long taken a comprehensive, whole-child approach, they partnered with City Connects to supply the essential structure needed to deliver these resources proactively and equitably across all district schools.
As Assistant Superintendent Sara Stetson explained:
“We had a lot of interventions, but there was no organizational structure… This raised concerns about efficiency and management of resources, but more importantly, it raised concerns about equity. City Connects encapsulated everything we were trying to do in one model.”
– Sara Stetson, Dedham Assistant Superintendent
At its core, City Connects serves as a powerful bridge that strengthens and connects communities, weaving together schools, families, and local partners into a unified approach to student support. City Connects is helping Dedham translate its commitment to student well-being into tangible support that deepens students’ sense of belonging and expands access to enrichment opportunities where students build relationships and skills that help them succeed in the classroom and beyond.
