A Blueprint for the Charles City Public School’s “Community Den”

Charles City County Public Schools (CCPS) submitted a Request for Assistance to work with a capstone team that would conduct a thorough analysis of the Community Den program and offer a blueprint that would sustain the Den’s efforts well into the future. To address this request, a doctoral Capstone team primarily utilized qualitative methods of data collection in a 3-phrase approach, including, an extensive process of literature review, asset mapping, which is a strength-based approach of connecting communities with resources, document analysis, site visits, interviews, and focus groups. These approaches allowed the capstone team to gain a better understanding of the resources available to the Community Den, the needs of the students and community members it serves, and existing best practices in rural community resource and support initiatives. Findings indicated that improving access to resources, prioritizing community connection, increasing student engagement, and optimizing the physical space as critical elements for the Community Den successful operation. Recommendations focused on opportunities for student engagement, marketing outreach, community engagement, improvements for data management, and physical spacing were formatted as initial steps within the blueprint to improve the overall operations of the Community Den