Alisal Union School District opens new Family Resource Centers
UPDATE 9/22/2017 4:30 p.m.:
The Alisal Union School District is welcoming two near family resource centers.
On Friday, community leaders officially opened one of the resource centers on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Academy campus on North Sanborn Road.
“There’s a lot of things that impact our students outside the classroom that are going to come with them inside,” Dr. Carissa Purnell, the director of Alisal Family Resource Center. “Things from adult education levels from literacy to housing to poverty, we want to be able to support that here in the resource center so we do everything that the parents and students need from us at the resource center.”
Each center is staffed by resource specialists who can help people fill out applications ranging from Medi-Cal to job applications to housing.
That’s where Julio Hernandez comes in. He specializes in housing and walks people through the application process.
“You have a lot of families that live together because of the necessity, so, you got 1-2 bedroom houses living with 10-20 family members. It is a big necessity,” Hernandez said.
While staff can assist people with passport applications, they have to refer to outside agencies for legal help.
The centers also act as a hub, bringing in different courses for parents and children, with available childcare so parents can focus and learn.
* Community English Courses
* Digital Literacy Classes
* Parenting Seminars
* Mental Health and Support Groups
* Art and Cultural Programming
* Preventative Health Care Information
* Information and Referral Services
* Community Meetings and Collaborative Opportunities
* Outreach Support Staff
“I’m also studying English,” Nora Orozco said in Spanish. “I bring my kid here to the classes, they are also helping him. It helps us a lot because we don’t know English and sometimes kids need help with their homework and here they are really helping us a lot.”
The other new center is at Frank Paul Elementary School on Rider Avenue in additional to the original center at Alisal Community School. AUSD says “the resource centers are part of the district’s commitment to its adoption of a Multi Tiered System of Support. The district board of trustees recently adopted a resolution that recognizes the need to provide wrap around services that directly address the need of every student and their families.”
The MLK Family Resource Center will be open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Friday’s by appointment.
ORIGINAL POST:
New resources will now be available for parents and students within the Alisal Union School District.
This morning, the district unveiled its new family resource centers.
“We are more than excited to open two additional family resource centers to provide social emotional, educational, and mental health care support services,” said AFRC Director Dr. Carissa Purnell. “We believe by being anchored in a community of need as a hub of culture, education, the arts, support, and critical thinking, we can build the necessary relationships and academic skills that will directly combat the negative socioeconomic ills that impact our students and families.”
The centers are supposed to be a safe and engaging place for families to thrive, learn, and grow together. To that end, the sites will host programs focused on education, culture, the arts, and enrichment that recognizes the needs and uplifts the dreams of area neighborhoods.
KION’s Mariana Hicks will have more on the typres of services that will be offered at 5 and 6.
