Family and community issues affecting elementary students are as important to schools as they are to the students, their families, and the community, so schools need to address them where possible. One way to accomplish this is to start initiatives that include the family and the community so that all three can work together to resolve the issues.
An example of this type of problem would be drug use. Drug use affects the student at the family level, because drug-using parents are unable to provide adequate parental care and may use the family's funds to buy drugs instead of food. In some cases, drug use can lead to homelessness or crime. This provides an unwholesome environment for children to grow up in. Drug use within the community at large can result in unsafe neighborhoods and crime, or even gang dominance.
Schools can meet with community officials and parents to develop programs that address drug use on all these levels. Starting a community center can get both adults and students "off the street" and into enjoyable activities, and the school can engage students with activities that involve the community center. Both the school and the center can provide informational and quit programs for ending drug use.
Not only does a community center program provide drug users with alternatives to drug use and programs for stopping, by establishing a link with the schools, it can be set up as a place for students to go to when they have similar issues at home or at school. Thus, the effects are far-reaching and can cover multiple community-school-family problems.
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