WACO (July 29, 2010)--Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas has always prided itself on the quality of its program and now it has received national accreditation from its national organization to prove it.

Communities in Schools of the Heart of Texas has received accreditation from its national office after an audit of the agency.

Auditors from the organization's national office examined everything from the quality of school programming, to record keeping, and strength of the organization's management.

CIS is a national network of non-profit agencies that address the national dropout epidemic.

Accreditation by the national office is part of a new process to make sure agencies across the nation meet the organization's policies and standards.

Services offered to area students and families include tutoring, mentoring, after school and summer programming, counseling, case management and career preparation.

The nonprofit also target increasing graduation, increased attendance; better and improved academic performance.

Organized as a nonprofit, CIS provides drop out prevention programs to students in Waco, La Vega, and Marlin Independent School Districts.

Most of CIS's services are educators, social workers, and professional volunteers who are experts in their technical education.

Executive Director Doug McDurham said, "The multi-year process of reaching this milestone has involved a lot of work, but as a result, we are a stronger organization."

"We have increased the effectiveness of our services to children, families, and schools, while strengthening the administrative structure that supports that work. We are providing more services than ever before and are better prepared to address the challenges faced by many children in our community," he said.