When Matt Przywara didn’t land the superintendent role he had been eyeing after 17 years with the School District of Lancaster, it could have marked the end of his chapter in education leadership.
Instead, it became the beginning of something bigger — a mission-driven pivot that brought him to the helm of CCRES, the Downingtown-based nonprofit transforming how schools support students with behavioral health and special education needs.
“I enjoyed trying to break down barriers for the employees, families, and students,” said Przywara, reflecting on his time from 2022 to 2024 as acting and assistant superintendent of the School District of Lancaster. “When I didn’t get the job, I entered a reflective period of thinking, ‘Maybe there’s something else for me.’”
That “something else” turned out to be CCRES. Founded in 1999, CCRES partners with intermediate units, school districts, and other community organizations to provide behavioral health, educational, and therapeutic staffing support for students across southeastern Pennsylvania and beyond. But what makes the organization stand out — and what attracted Przywara — is how it reinvests every dollar earned back into the communities it serves.
“I stumbled across CCRES and thought, ‘Wow, I can take what I was trying to do in one school district and apply it broadly,’” said Przywara. “It was the perfect fit.”
For Przywara, CCRES isn’t just a job. It’s personal. His youngest daughter, Sophia, has learning challenges. As a former school administrator, he often saw firsthand how support staff — especially those working in autism classrooms or low-incidence disability programs — lacked the training and resources they needed to succeed. Looking back, he wishes he had known about CCRES when he was on the other side of the table.
Now, as Executive Director, he’s working to ensure schools and students don’t have to go without.
“CCRES is a staffing solution organization that can meet people’s needs,” he said. “And the resources we gain by providing those services, we put those back into the community. They’re not sent out to a shareholder somewhere.”
Those resources translate into tangible outcomes: a new accessible playground for students with physical challenges, grants to support homeless student programs, and scholarships for young people pursuing both college and trades.
One of Przywara’s proudest achievements since joining CCRES has been the organization’s growing scholarship program. Launched just two years ago, it doesn’t just fund college tuition — it helps remove financial barriers for students entering skilled trades.
“Sometimes, you have to show up with a few thousand dollars of tools,” said Przywara. “That’s a barrier. We’re helping knock that down.”
This year, CCRES has awarded 98 scholarships totaling approximately $100,000 — doubling its previous year’s giving.
“I have a vision that, by adding fundraising to our strategy, we can triple that,” Przywara said.
Halfway through 2025, Przywara is laser-focused on three strategic goals: talent recruitment, geographic expansion, and philanthropic growth.
“We’re not a big name, but we’re a big deal,” he said. “What I mean is, we can’t think small. We’re one of the only nonprofits that do this work, and we have to match up to our for-profit competitors. We need to have good technology, good strategies, good resources to provide a living wage and living benefits for our employees.”
Having reached capacity in Chester County, CCRES — which is also present in Berks, Bucks, Cumberland, Montgomery, Delaware, Lebanon, and Lancaster counties — is now exploring new partnerships in Lehigh, York, and Franklin counties. The organization’s scalable model allows it to support students wherever the need is greatest. And that need is growing.
Przywara envisions CCRES becoming a philanthropic force, with expanded fundraising capabilities to power even more community investments.
“We’re giving out grants that are the cost of a used car — $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 — but that’s very tangible,” he said. “People feel that. They see it. It’s real.”
As a nonprofit, CCRES is structured differently than its private-sector competitors. That difference matters. Every dollar earned through staffing services is funneled directly into grants, scholarships, and support programs — not into private profit.
“It brings me a lot of joy,” Przywara said. “When we visit schools or partner programs, we can see the impact. We know we’re making a difference.”
Learn more about what makes CCRES an industry leader in educational and behavioral health services.
