Community Building Services (CBS) is launching a comprehensive Youth Accessibility Initiative designed to remove barriers to opportunity and ensure multilingual learners and historically underserved youth in our community have equitable access to the supports they need to thrive. Grounded in our updated Vision—a future where every student is valued, included, and equipped to succeed—and our Mission—advancing educational accessibility by removing barriers to participation and empowering families and students as co-creators of change—this initiative brings together schools, families, and community partners to deliver practical, culturally responsive solutions.
At the heart of our work is a clear need: too many students, particularly those from immigrant and refugee backgrounds, are excluded from enriching programs due to systemic barriers, including language, cultural disconnects, and the lack of reliable transportation. These barriers have compounding effects on attendance, engagement, and academic performance. CBS is meeting this challenge with a community-driven design that aligns academic support, social-emotional learning, youth workforce development through internship programs, arts education, substance use prevention, and family engagement into a coherent, accessible model.
One of the most significant challenges identified by students, caregivers, and educators is transportation. Families often cannot get their children to after-school programs, internships, tutoring sessions, arts classes, or community events—especially across neighborhoods and during non-traditional hours. To directly address this barrier, CBS will purchase and deploy a passenger van to provide reliable, safe, and consistent transportation, ensuring students can participate fully and regularly in the programs that build their skills and confidence. Removing this barrier is essential to increasing participation, improving attendance, expanding access, and advancing connection, accessibility, and belonging.
Our solution integrates culturally responsive curriculum and programming with real-world supports. Students will engage in youth internships that develop workforce readiness, leadership, and communication skills. They will participate in arts classes that foster creativity, identity, and cross-cultural connection. Through social-emotional learning, public speaking, resilience-building, and substance use prevention, youth will develop healthy decision-making, self-regulation, and positive interpersonal relationships. Educators will collaborate with CBS to co-design equity-centered and trauma-informed practices, while caregivers will be supported through bilingual forums, resource navigation, and opportunities to lead and shape programs.
This initiative is guided by a strong idea: the people most impacted by inequity must be at the center of designing solutions. CBS will convene a Community Design Council that includes students, educators, and caregivers. Together, we will co-create activities, refine logistics, and continuously improve delivery based on lived experience and data. Transparent communication—through bilingual updates, listening sessions, and community showcases—will ensure families and partners know what’s happening, how to participate, and how their input is shaping impact.
Our strategic plan for the first year focuses on building momentum and measurable outcomes. In the early months, we will conduct needs assessments and begin co-design workshops. Mid-year, we will pilot internships, arts programming, and SEL activities supported by transportation, gathering feedback to refine and strengthen our approach. As participation and attendance increase, we will expand access to additional classrooms and sites, deepen educator training, and host community showcases to celebrate progress and invite further input. By year’s end, we will publish a comprehensive impact report and sustainability roadmap co-authored with our stakeholders.
CBS is committed to tangible outcomes that demonstrate real progress for youth and families. We will track increased attendance and participation enabled by transportation; growth in workforce readiness and communication skills through internships; improvements in resilience, self-regulation, and healthy relationship-building through SEL; reductions in risk behaviors through prevention education; and strengthened family-school-community connections through bilingual engagement. We will also collaborate with educators to observe changes in classroom engagement, prosocial behaviors, and confidence, ensuring that what happens after school supports success in school.
Financial sustainability is central to our vision. CBS is advancing a diversified funding strategy that includes grants and philanthropy, corporate partnerships tied to workforce development, community giving, and earned revenue through training collaborations. We will formalize partnerships with schools, local businesses, and arts organizations to share resources and reduce costs, while investing in staff capacity and data systems to maximize impact per dollar. Over time, we plan to scale transportation access, replicate successful program elements across districts, and build a network of youth development hubs that can serve thousands of students statewide.
Pathways to Access & Achievement is more than a program—it is a community commitment to accessibility, belonging, and opportunity. By removing practical barriers, elevating student and family voice, and delivering high-quality, culturally responsive learning experiences, CBS is creating the conditions for youth to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, preparing them for college, career, and life.
Join us. Partner with, volunteer for, or support this initiative to expand access and unlock potential for every student in our community.
