Dear Valued Community Stakeholder,
We are writing this letter to introduce you to the Family Success Center, a new component of Scottsbluff Public Schools. Our mission is to provide resources to our students and families to remove barriers that prevent children from getting to, thriving in, and enjoying school. We know that students who live in communities with high levels of poverty are four times more likely to be chronically absent than other students and often for reasons beyond their control, such as unstable housing, unreliable transportation, and a lack of access to health care. It is important to note that we cannot successfully achieve our mission without the support of our community.
Our staff have experience and training in the areas of trauma-informed practices, restorative practices, relationship development, and identify supports for students at SBPS and their families. We have five staff members who support our families and students: School Climate Coordinator, Family and Community Navigator, Community Outreach Liaison, Homeless Liaison, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Facilitator.
In an effort to empower families and help remove barriers that affect school success, we are able to coordinate connections to community services and agencies that can provide assistance in areas such as employment, health services, substance abuse counseling, and obtaining vital records necessary for school enrollment. In addition, our staff helps families identify and access transportation options within the community. Finally, our Homeless Liaison utilizes the McKinney Vento program to work with students and families who need additional support due to housing insecurities.
This year, we have been fortunate to have community partners donate school supplies, an array of clothing, and hygiene supplies to our students who face many barriers in life that can impact their journey through school. We have also had stakeholders donate incentives and rewards to students who are striving to meet their attendance goals. Through the collective response by our community partners, we have been able to reduce or eliminate many obstacles and address larger issues that are impacting these households.
When students improve their attendance, they improve their academic possibilities, chances for graduating, and opportunities for gaining employment in our community. Attendance is the center of our biggest campaign, Every Day Matters, and we are tailoring it around a culture of being present. Showing up is being accountable to self and others, not solely in school but in the community, and in the workforce. It is our hope that we, as a community, can unite together to establish a culture of showing up every day at school, which will undoubtedly lead to a culture of dependability in the workforce.
We look forward to working with stakeholders in our community and hope to count on your support in addressing the barriers that are preventing our kids from reaching their fullest potential. Attendance improves when schools engage students and parents in positive ways and when schools provide mentors for chronically absent students. Mentorship is not just 1:1 time with students, the mindset of mentorship can be extended into the community by helping us reiterate the importance of attending on a regular basis and the value in showing up.
If you have any questions about the Family Success Center, our initiatives, or how you can best support our students and their families, please do not hesitate to reach out to us! We are excited to embrace your ideas and input. If you are an agency, an organization, or a business and you are looking for ways to embody the culture of supporting our students, please refer to the ideas provided through the QR code. If you are interested in assisting with our initiative in other ways, please contact our office.
We are hoping that with the positive engagement between our community organizations, schools, students, and their families, we can intentionally provide support and enthusiasm for increasing our students' attendance rates!
Every Day Matters!
Best regards,
Family Success Center Team
Scottsbluff Public Schools
[email protected]
308-633-6235