Education impacts health. Data shows that educational attainment and health outcomes are linked, so we at the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health understand that supporting education means supporting health.

Jackie Yarbrough is a senior program officer for the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health

Community schools are the most comprehensive way to address the root causes that impact health in a school setting. We became a member of the Idaho Coalition for Community Schools (ICCS) in 2021, and our belief in this model has strengthened as we’ve seen schools and districts across our state help families and youth thrive.

We’ve supported ICCS as well as schools and districts looking to implement or expand their offerings as a community school.

What is a Community School?

Community schools are neighborhood public schools where parents, educators, and community partners work together to expand the support available to families and create meaningful learning experiences for schools.

What this means is every community school is different because every community is different. One community might need or value after-school programming over a clothing closet or adult education courses. The community determines what programs or services would best help students and families, then a Community School Coordinator works to bring those to the school.

Here are a few examples of how our Foundation has supported community schools in Idaho:

  • Our work with ICCS has led to 65 Idaho schools across all six education regions operate as community schools. That’s 25 school districts and approximately 16,000 students across the state.
  • We’ve helped existing community schools add early education programs, behavioral health services, and health professions career technical education programs. Here is a look at how the Genesee School District embraced becoming a community school.

    Jackie Yarbrough presented with Marsing School District School Superintendent Norm Stewart (right) and School Board President Jason Sevy on Saturday in Louisville, Kentucky.
  • We partnered with the Cascade School District and Harwood Elementary School in Rigby to share their stories of becoming community schools.
  • We presented at a national school boards conference in Kentucky on March 14, 2026, with the Marsing School District, sharing the story of community schools strategy working in conservative, rural communities.

Supporting community schools in Idaho makes sense, and we are thankful for the impact they’re making on Idaho students and families.