Latest news with #FamilyResourceCenter
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Victor Elementary School District receives $14M grant to expand services for students
The Victor Elementary School District was awarded a $14.25 million grant from the California Department of Education to implement a comprehensive Community Schools initiative. This five-year grant aims to expand access to essential services and support systems for all students and families within the district's 18 schools. While the grant designates 10 schools as primary sites for the initiative, all district schools will benefit from the enhanced services. The initiative focuses on a holistic approach to education, ensuring every student has the necessary support to thrive academically and personally. "At VESD, we believe in supporting the whole child," said Dr. Tanya Benitez, assistant superintendent of pupil services. "This grant enables us to connect families to vital resources, ensuring our students are ready and equipped to learn." According to the district, the Community Schools model will transform selected school sites into hubs offering a range of services, including access to food, parenting classes, financial workshops, Read B4K, and more. These services will be tailored to meet the unique needs of each school community, determined through comprehensive needs assessments. "This funding allows us to extend our reach and provide more classes and resources to our families," said Family Resource Center Supervisor Jorge Escalante. "By establishing satellite hubs at various school sites, we can dynamically respond to the specific needs of our communities." The initiative also aims to strengthen partnerships with local agencies, ensuring the sustainability of services beyond the grant period. District officials said families can expect improved communication between home and school, increased opportunities for parental engagement, and enhanced support services to address barriers to student success. "Our team collaborated extensively to develop a plan centered on family needs," said teacher Penny Edmiston. "This funding will deepen the connections between home, school, and community, benefiting all VESD families." The grant application was a collaborative effort involving district staff, school site staff, Family Resource Center staff, and leadership from Jorge Escalante and Penny Edmiston, under the guidance of Dr. Benitez. For more information on available services and programs, families are encouraged to visit the VESD Family Resource Center website at Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@ Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Victor Elementary School District receives grant to expand services
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kansas bill seeks to enhance and expand childcare services
PITTSBURG, Kan. — A new Kansas bill has parents and childcare services relieved. On Thursday, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed House Bill 2045, a bill which plans to consolidate more than 20 childcare services and early childhood programs into the Office of Early Childhood. The bill will also create more childcare openings across the state. The Bill also focuses on increasing availability of childcare slots, allows fewer education requirements for some workers in a childcare facility and changes ratios of the number of adults to children. For one Pittsburg mom who just recently ended her search for the best childcare service after being on the wait list for 4 to 5 months later. She says it's good to know there are more options and it's less of a burden. 'It's really important they have somewhere that they can trust with their child as well. They go back to work because since it's so necessary for us to work these days, I just I feel like as a parent, it would be nice to have a place that they cannot worry about, have, like you said, like take that weight off of your shoulders while you go and work for them.' Jessica Aguilar, Pittsburg mom. 'This is just kind of making it official that they are concerned about childcare, lack of and wanting to keep those that are providing that care open.' Ann Elliott, Family Resource Center Executive Director. The office will officially open in mid-2026, with childcare licensing, childcare subsidy, home visitation programs and the Kansas Children's Cabinet and trust fund. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
No Wrong Door helps agencies better serve Allen County
Jan. 29—LIMA — More than 10 local organizations came together at Allen County's first No Wrong Door event to collaborate, network and work together to better serve the community. The event aims to familiarize organizations with each other and their functions, while also fostering an understanding that these services often serve the same individuals. "We have a lot of people in our community that need services, and they can come into one door and maybe it's not the right door," said Stefanie Motter, director of the aging and disability services at the Area Agency on Aging 3 in Lima. "The purpose of No Wrong Door is to communicate and network and work together so that we can better serve those individuals." Labeled as the "No Wrong Door expert" by Beca Sheidler, vice president of aging in place at Area Agency on Aging 3, Amber Wolfrom, adult prevention specialist with the Family Resource Center in Hancock County, resonated with and reminded attendees of their impacts on the community. She explained that if a community member is calling, it's likely because they are in a crisis. "Community members may not know where to turn," Wolfrom said. Remaining calm, engaging, direct, and assisting is important when speaking with someone in a difficult situation. Asking for the caller's location, age and whether or not they are a veteran are also significant tasks to do first to know exactly where to lead the caller. "To truly be No Wrong Door, you have to know your neighbor," Wolfrom said. Wolfrom frequently mentioned prioritizing the state of emotion of the caller. "You don't know how many doors have been closed in their face before they got to ours," she said. "The reaction we are getting is a symptom of what they're experiencing." Wolfrom has more than 25 years of experience providing and monitoring substance use prevention and mental health promotion efforts. Organizations including Allen County Job & Family Services, Allen County Family and Children First, Help Me Grow Home Visiting, Allen County Board of Developmental Disability and the West Ohio Community Action Partnership highlighted their roles and responsibilities during the event. Discussions regarding implementing the event in Allen County have been ongoing for several years, with some inspiration from a similar event in Hancock County. "This has been a dream and a vision and a conversation and a discussion for many years," Sheidler said. Reach Cade Higgins at 567-242-0351 Featured Local Savings
