Stewart County School
&
Family Resource Center
Proposal: To ensure success of all learners by providing the needed resources and services to parents and families through a collaboration of community agencies. The Stewart County School System will provide the leadership necessary to implement this cooperation effort and encourage this philosophy of lifelong learning.
Guidelines: Through collaboration and cooperation with other service agencies, the local education agency may take a leadership role in planning and establishing a system of coordinated state and community services to help meet the needs of families with children within the community served by each school by providing family resource centers.
Principles:
- All families need information and social support at different levels.
- The first few years of a child's life are of critical importance in later intellectual achievement, physical growth and social development.
- When parents are stressed, it undermines their capacity to protect, nurture, and guide their children.
- The durability and stability of schools make them an essential participant in effectively serving children and their families.
In 1993, the Tennessee General Assembly recognized the increasing number of children experiencing a combination of high risk environments as a result of poverty, families with substance abuse, domestic violence and dysfunctional families. In order to establish a network of prevention and early intervention programs, the General Assembly passed legislation granting local education agencies (LEA) the authority to establish Family Resource Centers. Schools cannot solve all the problems alone; however, schools are in a prime position to be the catalyst in networking effective prevention and intervention programs. The family resource centers work proactively to establish collaborative partnerships with parents, community and business leaders, state and local health service agencies, public and private organizations. The family resource works to maximize and reduce duplication of existing services. At present not all Tennessee counties have FRC Centers and each grant is renewed on a year to year basis.
Stewart County's initial Family Resource grant was awarded in 1996. Mr. Neil Settle was the first Stewart County FRC Director and he resigned in 1997. Nancy Spiers was hired to fill that vacancy in the spring of 1998.
The original FRC was located in the old Teacher Center that was located where the new Stewart County Library now stands. The FRC moved into the old Dover Elementary Jr. High Building, September of 1998 and then moved in August of 2000 to the old Dover Elementary. They are now presently located on site at Dover Elementary, North Stewart Elementary, and Stewart County High School. This move brings to mind the quote from Charles Dickens, "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times."
- The purpose of the Family Resource Center is to provide families with an additional support system that will assist them in identifying and addressing home/community barriers to their child's success in school.
- The Family Resource Center acts as a family education center and offers a place where families with children can turn to for guidance, counseling, networking and problem-solving.
- The Family Resource Center acts as a referral agency helping families to connect with resources that will aid problem solving. The Family Resource Center encourages the development of strong families and the preservation of the family unit. Parents are recognized and valued as a vital part in the solution-finding process. The intervention is hoped to break the cycles of at-risk behaviors which may lead to family disruption and impede school success.
- The Family Resource Center is a comprehensive family program that offers support and information to families in need. The Family Resource Program links families with resources and services available within the community. The intent of the Family Resource Program is to enhance students' abilities to succeed in schools by assisting children, youth, and families in meeting some of their basic needs.