Family Resource Center
The number one obstacle to success for schools in low-income neighborhoods is a high mobility rate. That's the rate at which children move in and out of schools, usually due to the economic hardships of their parents. It makes sense that even the highest level of academic instruction will fail if kids are not in the classroom, ready to learn. That was the mission of the very first Family Resource Center that opened at Webb Middle School in 2007. And it's why we accepted the invitation to partner with Austin Voices for Education and Youth (AVEY) to open another Family Resource Center at J. Frank Dobie Middle School last year. The goal is for "all kids to be in class every day, ready to learn." And we do that by connecting families with resources to help stabilize them and lower the mobility rate. Families visiting our center receive referrals for help with such things as rental assistance, healthcare, food programs, and many other needs.
In addition, we created a Community / School Alliance of community partners that can work together to help families move toward self-sufficiency and true community. This involves a collaboration of government agencies, businesses, churches, and individuals to work with Austin ISD to make this a reality. Our dream is to leverage this experience to create more Family Resource Centers in the under-resourced neighborhoods of Austin, including the Northgate neighborhood where we began.
