Agawam schools now offering virtual family resource center

Feb. 3, 2021 | Ryan Feyre
rfeyre@thewestfieldnewsgroup.com

AGAWAM – A virtual family resource center is now available to students and families in the Agawam school district.

The goal of this center is to enhance school, family and community partnerships through support and guidance for students and families who are in need of community resources.

According to Marlene DeJesus, the social emotional learning director for Agawam Public Schools, the idea for a family resource center stemmed from the district’s strategic plan. This plan heavily emphasized the development of a centralized space to allow families to connect and identify community resources for children in the district.

DeJesus was able to obtain a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education called “Supporting Students Behavioral and Mental Health Wellness.” With this grant, the district was able to fully proceed with the center.

“Through the grant, our hope is that we increase this family engagement, and to really be seen as a hub of information and resources,” said DeJesus. “It’s creating an opportunity for families to have information in regards to some services around Agawam.”

The new center, according to DeJesus, will shine a light on specific resources that will help students with their learning. Outside of DeJesus, the resource center currently has two coordinators – Nahir Rivera and Devin Jorgensen – who offer help to families and students when it comes to resources within schools and around the community.

“We developed a virtual space, and really put a lot of effort into our website,” said DeJesus. “People can email or call to schedule appointments to have meetings with our resource coordinators.”

The center’s website includes multiple drop-down menus that promote life skills, health & wellness, success in the classroom, proper communication, and webinar options. The site also offers a primary services menu, where resources and assistance for food, housing, heat, internet access, domestic violence services, crisis emergency services, suicide prevention, and MASS 211 services are all available.

“I help [the coordinators] figure out what we need to do in alignment with our grant and strategic plan,” said DeJesus.

As emotions continue to run high during the pandemic, DeJesus said that it is important for families and students to be gentle with themselves, and pat themselves on the back from time to time.

“It’s really important to support our kids to really be engaged when there is online learning,” said DeJesus. “Also being able to open up conversations with our kids, and let them know that they can talk, and that they can take breaks and take care of themselves at the same time.”

The webinar series in particular provides tips and tools about dealing with emotions in both the classroom and at home. Students and families can learn how to cool down after a stressful day, or utilize other resources that may help them in specific situations.

Aside from this learning process, DeJesus said that it is really about making those connections so families can have necessary resources at the tip of their hands. So far, they have connected with Way Finders to help with rent and mortgages, as well as Salvation Army for food resources. They have also connected with the YWCA for domestic violence services, and Rick’s Place for those who may need assistance while grieving.

The center also plans on spearheading a mentoring program with National Honors Society (NHS) students at the high school. Third, fourth, and fifth graders who have been a part of remote learning will be matched with NHS students for fun activities, and other types of engagement.

“Hopefully within the next month, we will start a drop-in caregiver support group for parents to handle the stress of this new way of parenting, and the challenges that come with a new way of learning,” said DeJesus. “We’re creating the best practices as we’re going through this, because no one’s gone through something like this.”

For those who would like to learn more about the new resource center, visit their website here: https://sites.google.com/view/agawamfamilyresourcecenter/welcome. Contacts for both coordinators are also listed on the site.

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