LEAD Public Schools Launches New Program to Connect Families With Community Resources
LEAD Public Schools believes in building partnership between home and school so that our students have the full support needed to succeed. This belief inspired the launch of LEAD’s newest family support initiative: the CarePortal.
“Some of our students have more responsibilities than just attending school and getting good grades,” said Biridiana Martinez, a family and community engagement associate at LEAD Public Schools. “When the worries of parents transfer to our students, it’s hard for them to focus on school. [The CarePortal lets] our families know that not only does our school look out for your students’ education, but also is invested in providing resources to help out during tough times.”
CarePortal is a platform that connects LEAD families with a network of community organizations and resources. The platform makes connections in real time and creates an opportunity for organizations seeking to serve their community to reach LEAD families.
“Not only does it provide [for] physical needs, it can also serve as a way to form a support system for the family in need,” said Martinez.
The CarePortal grew out of the growing need at LEAD’s Serve Others Stations, a program that provides families assistance with things like food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and internet connectivity. When LEAD encounters a need that is greater than what Serve Others Stations can offer, they can now turn to the CarePortal to connect families with an even larger network of support.
“LEAD has positioned CarePortal to support our more chronic needs, including rental assistance and total loss [situations],” said Corey Burton, director of enrollment and family engagement at LEAD Public Schools. “Together with the LEAD Serve Others Stations, CarePortal provides LEAD an array of services to meet family needs in creative and impactful ways. It also provides an opportunity for us to engage the broader community in our LEAD Ethos in serving others.”
LEAD Board Member Rob Keller has been instrumental in launching this initiative. Wanting to make an even larger impact on our families, Keller introduced LEAD to the CarePortal team and facilitated the partnership to benefit families. Keller and his church even fulfilled LEAD’s first request in the CarePortal.
Although the CarePortal is a new program, LEAD’s family engagement team has big plans for the future and envisions this initiative building support systems inside and outside of school walls.
“We are not only called to educate our families, but also to provide a network of resources to support who they are as families,” said Burton. “LEAD has accepted this calling, and is committed to doing whatever it takes to provide a compilation of resources and community organizations committed to seeing our families succeed.”
