At the Shore Educational Collaborative in Chelsea, Massachusetts, every student has a team of supporters. About 200 students from more than a dozen school districts come to Shore for its specialized programs for students with disabilities. The school offers small classes and robust in-school support, including counseling, behavioral support, physical, speech, and occupational therapy, and medical support from a nursing team.
Every student at Shore has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that ensures they receive the support they need in school. And, since 2023, every student has a City Connects Coordinator to ensure they have the support they need at home.
“Our students’ IEPs typically specify some combination of in-school services from our team of counselors, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and nurses, as well as modifications and accommodations for academic instruction in school. But what’s not on their IEP is what’s happening at home,” said Judith Lynch, Director of Therapeutic Services at the Shore Educational Collaborative. “The most important piece is what’s happening outside of school. City Connects is hooking families up with outside services, connecting students to enrichment programs, and attending to students’ needs outside of the school building. That’s what City Connects does, it addresses all those important areas that otherwise may not receive the full attention they require given the complexity of the students we serve.”
City Connects Coordinator Sarah Marzano is always there to answer the call from her students and families. Marzano—who supports students in the school’s program for social, emotional, and behavioral disabilities—gets to know each family to understand where they may need support.
“I spend a lot of time every day reaching out to caregivers to build those relationships. I go out to their homes, meeting them where they are to identify needs in the comfort of their space. Especially for our parents, getting a call from school or coming into school can be traumatic and scary. I want them to know that I’m here to support them,” said Marzano.
In addition to connecting families with vital services—like food, housing, and warm clothes— Marzano goes above and beyond to provide a village for her students and families. If a parent needs help getting their child to a doctor’s appointment or basketball practice, Marzano jumps in the car and takes them herself. If a family is overwhelmed managing their child’s medication, she’s there with a color-coded pill case helping them sort through it. If a student needs socks or a deodorant wipe during school, she has a hygiene station with all the essentials. Marzano knows her students and her students know she truly cares.
“I’m there at arrival, I’m there at dismissal, I’m going in and out of the classrooms, I’m helping out at the basketball games. We really are able to insert ourselves into the culture and into the classroom. I know every kids’ name and worked to develop a connection. Just knowing something about every kid—like checking in with them about the book I saw them reading last week— those small things make such a big impact. The same goes for caregivers, checking in to see how their doctor’s appointment was or just listening while they vent can make a difference,” Marzano said.
“Because the Coordinators have more flexible schedules than our other staff, they have the ability to respond to the immediate needs of families in a way we had not been able to do before. They can devote the time and energy to making sure the needs of the whole child are being met,” said Lynch.
City Connects Coordinator Antonio Martinez, who supports students in the Shore’s programs for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), plays a critical role in his students’ care.
“Everyone on our team here—the teachers, counselors, Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Physical Therapists, Behavior Analysts, and nurses—plays a part in the students’ experience here at Shore,” said Martinez. “Sarah and I are able to take a step back and get an overview of how everyone is coming together and make sure we aren’t missing anything. We can make sure things really fit for the student because each student is so different.”
A fierce advocate for students with disabilities, Martinez spends his days assisting his families as they work to attain the services and support they need from the Department of Developmental Services and coverage from MassHealth and Social Security. He helps ensure families know their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and helps them find inclusive programs where they can feel comfortable and supported in their community. Martinez spends his nights and weekends advocating for a more inclusive community. He has partnered with the Parks and Recreation Department in Chelsea to advocate for more inclusive parks, consulted with the City of Chelsea on ADA compliance, and runs weekend groups for caregivers of students with disabilities.
“A lot of parents still carry that fear and stigma, that the community is not ready for their child,” Martinez said. “The groups give parents the opportunity to see me in a different light. Not as a social worker from school or authority figure, but as someone who is there for them. And it’s really helped the parents.”
The team at the Shore has learned how to tailor the City Connects model to best support their school and students while maintaining the critical goal of supporting the whole child.
“Before we had City Connects, if a counselor—or program coordinator for those students without counseling services on their IEP–-found that a family needed services outside of school, it would be up to them to figure out how to get those services in place. Now, having Sarah and Antonio dedicated to addressing all those things that families need support with is really helping us meet the needs of the whole child in a more efficient way,” said Lynch. “The counselors can focus on working with students on the issues happening in school and pull in the City Connects Coordinators to make sure we are addressing all the different areas of the students’ lives.”
