For 20 years, City Year Little Rock has sent AmeriCorps recruits into local schools to support, mentor and tutor students to prepare them socially, emotionally and academically.
“We’re not just an education nonprofit, but a proven, cost-effective workforce development program,” says Jennifer Cobb, CYLR executive director and senior vice president. “Our partner schools are two to three times more likely to report improved scores on math and English assessments. Simultaneously, we support the next generation of capable, compassionate and civic-minded young professionals.”
The organization takes center stage in the lives of father-daughter duo Bob and Creshelle Nash. Bob’s involvement started from the organization’s beginning, with Creshelle following in his footsteps. She now co-chairs the Women’s Leadership Council, a mentorship program that gets AmeriCorps members career-ready when they leave their post.
Bob was introduced to national service through President Bill Clinton, and he was even present when Clinton signed the bill establishing AmeriCorps.
“[Clinton] and I strongly believe in public service, and I’ve always been passionate about helping young people find their path,” Bob says. “When you’re young, getting off on the wrong path is easy. But if someone believes in you, you can find your way. AmeriCorps does that for so many young people.”
When Bob returned to Little Rock in 2009, he shared an office with retired four-star general Wesley Clark, who chaired the CYLR board of advisors at the time.
“It was hard to say ‘no’ when the general asked me to get involved,” Bob says. “I firmly believe in the City Year team and its AmeriCorps members. I find every opportunity to uplift their work within my networks and highlight the difference they are making within our community.”
As a father, Bob made an effort to model community service for his children, and he’s proud of his daughter for making mentorship and service a priority.
“He’s spent his life trying to help those who need it most,” Creshelle says. “It’s an honor to be part of an organization that’s close to his heart.”
Nationwide, City Year battles inequity to give students opportunities regardless of race, ethnicity or socio-economic background. Since 2004, the local division has deployed hundreds of student success coaches into partner schools. Last year alone, it provided 600 students from Little Rock and Jacksonville school districts with one-on-one interventions.
“Educational equity promotes fairness, enables social mobility, enriches the learning environment, contributes to economic growth, fosters social cohesion and supports overall development of students,” Creshelle says. “Ensuring every student has access to quality education is fundamental to creating a just and prosperous society.”
“These efforts directly impact children’s academic performance while enhancing their durable skills, such as problem solving and critical thinking,” Cobb says. “Along with the students, we also fuel the development of our AmeriCorps members into tomorrow’s leaders.”
The organization calls this its “double bottom line” investment: creating positive outcomes for students while simultaneously building civic leaders.
“City Year has transformed our school district, instilling hope and resilience in our scholars,” says Dr. Jeremy Owoh, superintendent of the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District. “City Year’s presence has not only elevated academic performance, but also fostered a sense of belonging and possibility.”
“Evidence indicates that fostering a welcoming school environment benefits students and staff, leading to enhanced engagement, better attendance, improved outcomes and more,” Creshelle says. “The bottom line is that students feel more capable and confident about learning when they’re safe and supported.”
AmeriCorps members strive to cultivate positive, caring relationships through consistent everyday actions like morning greetings at the bus drop-off, small group skill-building and homework assistance.
“Our students light up when they see the red jackets of the City Year AmeriCorps members,” Little Rock School District Superintendent Dr. Jermall Wright says. “Their presence has a profound impact on both our students and the entire school community.”
The nonprofit’s 20th anniversary is a significant milestone, and CYLR plans to celebrate accordingly with initiatives and events that “highlight and reflect on its impact over the past two decades.” Each activity will include a community-building component and will culminate in a “blowout block party” in spring 2025.
For the 2023-2024 school year, CYLR expanded to serve the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District and recruited the largest class of AmeriCorps members since the pandemic. The game plan is to take the City Year playbook and the student success coach model and help even more schools and districts.
“Even without AmeriCorps members in their classrooms, our potential partners can benefit from our guidance and expertise in developing their own teams of student success coaches,” Cobb says. “With our support, they can train these individuals to deliver data-driven academic interventions, create positive learning environments, extend learning opportunities and more — all to improve students’ readiness to learn and achieve better outcomes.”
“We are improving student outcomes and fostering the next generation of leaders through our AmeriCorps members,” Creshelle says. “As part of the Women’s Leadership Council, I’ve heard directly from members about how serving as a student success coach is a trajectory-shifting experience. Supporting these young adults with our time and resources is an investment in a stronger community.”
20 Years of City Year Little Rock
- 3 districts (CYLR served four North Little Rock School District schools from 2005-2012.)
- 19 schools
- 897 AmeriCorps members
- 43 — average recruit class size
- 918,000 service hours
- 70% of focus list students improve in attendance, behavior or course grades