About

Community Schools resources provide for students’ social, emotional, physical and intellectual needs and partner with districts and community organizations to remove barriers to learning and support the whole child.

Benefits of Community Schools

Comprehensive Care

Many student support services can be covered under the Community Schools CoSer. This includes mental health support, character building, professional development, translation and interpretation services, wellness resources, and in-school medical support.

Diverse Supports

The Community Schools CoSer brings together vetted community partners who specialize in student support, ensuring quality care and improved student outcomes.

Affordable and Accessible Support

The Community Schools CoSer offers a range of support services for students and caregivers that are eligible for state aid. This helps your school district provide more whole-child support for students at a lower cost.

Time and Resource Savings

Our thorough vetting process provides a menu of the best student supports, eliminating the need for your district to find qualified organizations independently.

Meet the Team

Jessica Karches, Director

Jessica Karches supervises a team of professional development and administrative staff at Erie 1 BOCES, while also leading strategic planning and leadership support. She designs and delivers professional development curriculum to school administrators across Western New York. Jessica oversees the Community Schools Coser which aims to connect resources to schools, students, and families.

Previously, Jessica was the Coordinator of Staff and Curriculum Development, Differentiated Instruction, and Data Analysis for several years. Jessica organized workshops on leadership, Special Education, Social Studies, engagement, and technology to address the needs of participants throughout the Erie 1 BOCES region. As a staff developer, she provided teacher-leader evaluations, curriculum assessment planning and development, data driven instruction, and coaching and modeling of best practices in the classroom.

Jessica has a Master's degree in Education, Special Education, from St. Bonaventure University and a Bachelor’s degree in History with a minor in Secondary Education from St. Bonaventure. She holds Advanced Certificates in School Building Leader and School District Leader from Canisius College, and permanent certifications in Special Education K – 12 and Secondary Social Studies Education.

Jessica extends her knowledge to the community by serving as Vice President for The Academy for Human Rights, a non-profit providing human rights education for teachers, students and community.

Email Jessica

Kailin Kucewicz, School Community Engagement Coordinator

Kailin Kucewicz serves as the Program Coordinator for the Community Schools CoSER at Erie 1 BOCES. Through her role, Kailin works to connect resources to schools, students, and families.

Kailin has her Master’s in Social Work (MSW) from Widener University, a Master’s degree in Engineering from Lehigh University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Wells College.

Before joining BOCES, Kailin worked as a freelance consultant for a health education start-up company out of Germany and served as a Health Educator, Peer Mentor, and later, Supervisor with a local non-profit organization. Kailin volunteered with her community as a board member with B Team, a local organization that works to connect interested volunteers to volunteer opportunities.

She has experience in program development and implementation, youth mentorship, educator supervision, and business development through strategic community partnerships. Outside of work, Kailin enjoys playing pickle ball, playing fetch with her Bengal cat, Lasertron, and is learning to play roller derby through Queens Court with Queen City Roller Derby league.

Email Kailin

Emily Schutte-Watson, Senior Account Clerk Typist

I love to read, especially gothic classics, thrillers, and sci-fi/fantasy. I also love talking about books, or any other piece of media you can name (it's the English major in me). I'm interested in alternative fashion, crafting, and animals of all sorts, and I pride myself on having no less than four languages in any given shuffled playlist. My current passion project is the Queer Lit Book Club at the Clearfield library, which I started in collaboration with the library clerk in order to provide a welcoming, safe space for the community. Email Emily

Tera Siegfried, Coordinator

Tera Siegfried (she/her) serves as the Project Coordinator for the Erie 1 BOCES Community Schools CoSer and the Creating Healthy Schools and Communities (CHSC) Grant.

Tera received her Master of Social Work at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work, and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Social Welfare from Nazareth University.

Prior to working with E1B, Tera worked in the child welfare field supporting youth in foster care with their independent living needs. Tera also worked at a daycare as a Teacher Assistant, and as a Resident Aide at an in-patient facility for people with substance use disorders. Tera is certified in Restorative Practices and is passionate about connecting youth and their families with their school and community. Outside of work, Tera enjoys hiking, cooking, going to concerts, and spending time with her friends and family.

Email Tera

Logo Image

Logo Title

In This Section