City Connects at the Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children

City Connects at the Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children The Mary E. It's flagship program, City Connects, is an evidence-based approach to addressing the out-of-school factors that can impact student success.

Grounded in developmental science, the City Connects approach recognizes that all children deserve quality supports and are capable of learning and thriving with careful attention to their unique strengths, needs, and interests. Walsh Center for Thriving Children uses research and data to identify and evaluate strategies that successfully transform schools and communities into systems of opportunity for all students.

June is National Children's Awareness Month which focuses on the health and well-being of children so that they can real...
06/17/2026

June is National Children's Awareness Month which focuses on the health and well-being of children so that they can realize their potential and build promising futures. City Connects shares that focus. We support each and every child's strengths, needs, and interests so that they can learn and thrive. Happy from City Connects!

It's graduation season! As we celebrate students crossing the stage this month, we're also looking at what helps them ge...
06/12/2026

It's graduation season! As we celebrate students crossing the stage this month, we're also looking at what helps them get there and what keeps them going!

Our research shows that when schools implement systems of integrated student support, like City Connects, the positive effects on students persist. Students who receive City Connects support in elementary school are more likely to enroll in and complete 2-year and 4-year postsecondary programs.

When we support the whole student, we promote long-term success and thriving!

Access more research on what matters for healthy child development, learning, and thriving at buff.ly/nuh5Pf7

06/12/2026

Last week, City Connects hosted our annual Program Manager meeting! Program Managers from across our network gathered for two days filled with learning, networking, and sharing of ideas.

Learning, reflection, and communities of practice are vital parts of the City Connects approach. Program Managers support City Connects Coordinators to implement our evidence-based practice in ways that work within each school and community's local context. This was a powerful opportunity for Program Managers to learn from and support each other, with a shared goal of continuing to do whatโ€™s best for each of our students.

Thank you to all of our attendees for your invaluable insights and participation! We canโ€™t wait to see you at the next one!

Public school enrollment in the United States is declining, putting funding at risk and schools under financial pressure...
05/21/2026

Public school enrollment in the United States is declining, putting funding at risk and schools under financial pressure. But what if one pathway to stabilizing enrollment lies in how we support the "whole child?"

In a recent interview, a researcher from the Boston College Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children draws on two decades of data from Massachusetts public schools. He takes a closer look at 76 of those schools that have implemented City Connects and compares them to schools with similar enrollment patterns that did not have City Connects. ๐‡๐ข๐ฌ ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก ๐ก๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐‚๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐‚๐จ๐ง๐ง๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐ž๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ก๐ž๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฌ๐œ๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐›๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ž๐ง๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐š๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ง๐๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž, ๐ฆ๐š๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ฆ ๐ž๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐›๐ฅ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ ๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐  ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ง๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ข๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ง๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž๐ฌ.

Hear more from researcher and economist, Illia Polovnikov, on his analysis of integrated student support programs and how they can benefit public school enrollment and attendance: https://blog.cityconnects.org/new-research-finds-that-city-connects-increases-enrollment-in-public-schools/

Systemic challenges require systemic solutions. Housing insecurity, food insecurity, employment instability, and health ...
05/19/2026

Systemic challenges require systemic solutions. Housing insecurity, food insecurity, employment instability, and health issues often go hand in hand. City Connects takes a "whole child" approach and creates a pipeline between students and school- and community-resources. By bringing together the supports and opportunities each student needs to learn and thrive, we build a sustainable infrastructure for student success. Learn more about our integrated student support approach at www.cityconnects.org

05/15/2026

We are so proud to share the latest evidence of how City Connects is helping students learn and thrive. By connecting students to school and community resources, weโ€™re making sure every child has a path to success! To learn more about the progress weโ€™ve made, access the full report in detail here:

The latest research from the Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children broadens our understanding of the impacts of hig...
05/07/2026

The latest research from the Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children broadens our understanding of the impacts of high-quality integrated student support. Research on the City Connects intervention helps everyone who works to support the "whole child" learn about best practices and what is possible for children and youth, especially those who are growing up in poverty. When we provide both support and enrichments opportunities, it promotes child well being, learning, and thriving.

Examine the Evidence. Read the full 2026 Progress Report here: https://buff.ly/9qgioxe


This Teacher Appreciation Week, we are listening to teachers!They often share with us that their jobs are stressful, and...
05/06/2026

This Teacher Appreciation Week, we are listening to teachers!

They often share with us that their jobs are stressful, and that many of their concerns relate to student mental health, well being, and behavior. City Connects works closely with teachers, listens to their concerns, and translates their worries into meaningful actions that support student mental health and well being, leading to improved student behavior and academic learning.

Learn more about how City Connects makes a difference for teachers: https://buff.ly/ZhyhHuS

We are thrilled to share the City Connects 2026 Progress Report! A comprehensive dive into our history, model, implement...
04/29/2026

We are thrilled to share the City Connects 2026 Progress Report!

A comprehensive dive into our history, model, implementation, research and evidence, this report serves as a powerful testament to the collective hard work, unwavering dedication, and profound, tangible difference that the City Connects practice is making in the lives of children, families, schools, and communities every single day. This Progress Report showcases new research, including the impacts of City Connects on student attitudes about school, and its impacts on school enrollment and student learning outcomes in "turnaround schools". The latest evidence expands our understanding of City Connects' impacts, and how it helps schools to personalize student support.

Learn more about how City Connects is bringing needed resources and enriching opportunities to thousands of students. Read the Progress Report to gain a deeper understanding of how City Connects accelerates student academic success and builds a brighter future where every child can thrive: https://buff.ly/1joxsj7

Executive director, Eric Dearing, will be presenting this Friday at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting in Boston!A...
04/22/2026

Executive director, Eric Dearing, will be presenting this Friday at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting in Boston!

As part of a Pediatric Policy Council State of the Art Plenary, Eric will be discussing "๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐“๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐‚๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ž๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐„๐๐ฎ๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง" ๐š๐ญ 4:25 ๐๐Œ ๐„๐“ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐…๐ซ๐ข๐๐š๐ฒ, ๐€๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ฅ 24, covering education policy and the role of integrated student support in promoting children's health and well being!

Address

Campion Hall
Chestnut Hill, MA
02467

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Website

,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when City Connects at the Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to City Connects at the Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children:

Shortcuts

Share

Category