Communities In Schools of Renton (CISR) is a non-profit 501(c)(3), which grew out of a vision to bring the community together to ensure the success of children and youth in Renton. After years of consensus building and planning by representatives of the Renton School District, the City of Renton and many other dedicated community members, the organization hired Susan Richards as the Executive Director in 1994 and began offering programs to children and their parents.

The goal of Communities In Schools of Renton is to support the academic success of all children in the Renton School District. The targeted outcomes for our programs are to improve children’s self, esteem, increase parent engagement and student attachment with school, and positively impact school success factors such as attendance, appropriate behaviors and academic achievement. These outcomes are achieved by developing and implementing programs which ensure that children and their families receive the support they need from the schools and the community to be successful.

Through these efforts, Communities In Schools of Renton increases opportunities for everyone in the community to work together in a collaborative and comprehensive manner and provides individuals with tangible ways to contribute their resources and time in a focused manner.

Communities In Schools of Renton has developed two coordinated prevention focused programs in partnership with the Renton School District and the City of Renton to help increase Renton's capacity to meet the needs of children and families. Together they provide the holistic approach to supporting school success by giving families needed support through the Family Liaison Program while supporting the child with a caring adult through the Mentor Program. Both programs are aligned with the 40 Developmental Asset model developed by the Search Institute which promotes the positive development of youth and helps to create healthy communities.