The district Family Resource Center has been created to provide solutions and interventions to improve social, economic, behavioral and mental well being of our families. The FRC is located at Elm Street Elementary school (585 Elm Street) and is available for all district families. The purpose of the FRC is to provide a central and convenient point of contact for all Painesville City School families to access multiple services to minimize barriers to student academic success. Such services include solutions and interventions to improve social, economic, behavioral and mental well being of our families. WHY OPEN A FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER? It is understood that a basic level of overall wellness is necessary for children to engage and benefit from academic tasks. Among the barriers that hinder a child’s ability to learn are;Physical health (i.e., hunger and poor nutrition)Mental health (i.e., depression and anxiety)Exposure to traumaNegative peer influencesAlcohol, tobacco, and/or drug useDifficulties with concentration/attentionBehavioral barriersSocial-emotional barriers The district has found that, while many agencies and services in Lake County exist to help families deal with the above array of problems, they are not always readily accessible to the families that need them. Awareness, language, and transportation are common barriers to connecting with needed services. The Family Resource Center was created to provide a solution to those barriers. HOW DOES IT WORK? Amber Torres is the full time bilingual Site Coordinator at the Center who networks on behalf of our students and families. Working with school staff, Amber identifies students at risk of under-performance and assess the student/family needs. She then calls in the appropriate community organizations, social service agencies and healthcare providers and facilitates the delivery of services and resources for success both inside and outside of the classroom. Students and families have access to the resources brought in to the school setting, where they are accessible, coordinated, and accountable.While the program seeks to target students who are most at-risk (those who demonstrate consistent deficiencies in math/reading proficiency, and/or who exhibit continuous truancy and/or behavioral referrals), our resource center and site coordinator are available to all of our district students and families. WHERE IS THE CENTER? The Family Resource Center is housed at Elm Street Elementary School. It provides a comfortable, safe space and a trusted individual that families can access whenever they want or need to, in a place where they feel welcomed and understood.
