ARP-HCY Spotlights: Prepaid Debit & Store Cards

When Ridgefield School District learned they’d be receiving ARP-HCY funds, the Assistant Director of Social Emotional Learning began to survey school staff, including counselors, administrators, connection mentors (social-emotional learning support staff), and the family resource center coordinator. District staff identified key needs of mental health services, tutoring, and transportation. The Assistant Director then surveyed every family identified as experiencing homelessness in the district. Families identified key needs of not feeling connected to school and needing more communication between home and school. The Assistant Director met with each student identified as an unaccompanied homeless youth at the high school level and learned that needs would have to be met on an individual basis.

Based on survey results, Camp Cope-A-Lot, an online curriculum, will be purchased to support mental health, stress and anxiety. Camp Cope-A-Lot is an online program to help kids learn coping strategies to manage stress and anxiety. Because the district has 1:1 chromebooks, students can access Camp Cope-A-Lot both at home and at school. In addition, the district also plans to purchase a family account that aligns with the student’s account.

Since the need for greater connections between school and home was identified, the district is working on a plan to better engage families through regular free and fun family events called “Growing Spudders”, modeled after an existing program at the district’s early learning center. The district plans to use ARP-HCY funds to purchase educational games for the family events, as well as use the events to provide opportunities to foster community. These events will also support increased identification, as more families are connecting with school and the homeless liaison.

In order to meet the individual needs of the district’s unaccompanied homeless youth, the district plans to use pre-paid Visa cards. The Assistant Director will be responsible for tracking the use of the pre-paid cards, including who received it, for what purpose, and other district tracking requirements.

“I always go back to my own lived experience. I would have attended school more if I would have had coping strategies to manage my stress and anxiety about missing school because of my living situation. I want to make sure to build connections, empathy and understanding between school and families. These funds are helping to make it possible.”
– Kataira Smith, Assistant Director of Social Emotional Learning and Homeless Liaison

Using ESSER funds, Middletown Public Schools hired a full-time Family Services Coordinator due to the increased numbers of identified students experiencing homelessness, particularly among the multilingual learner population. When ARP-HCY Part I was distributed, the Family Services Coordinator began targeted communication and outreach to families to determine needs. Decisions on the best use of ARP-HCY funds were guided by these weekly communications and check-ins, during which time it became clear that families need support with food and winter clothing. The Family Services Coordinator uses ARP-HCY funds to purchase supermarket and store gift cards so families are able to purchase needed items. These gift cards are purchased in collaboration with the district business office, submitting purchase orders through existing store accounts.

In addition, the Family Services Coordinator determined that families need support with wraparound services. ARP-HCY funds are supporting after school transportation to the Boys and Girls Club for homework support and free meals so students end their days fed and with completed homework. The district is also providing mental health services in school buildings during school hours, in partnership with the community-based organization Newport Mental Health. The Family Services Coordinator hopes to use additional ARP-HCY funds to increase staff training in McKinney-Vento and best practices to support students.

 “I think that the flexibility of this funding has been such a huge help to homeless liaisons. There used to be more regulations on the funding but being able to use the money to help with food, phones, taxis as well as wraparound services has meant that we can be more on the front lines helping families in unconventional ways.”
– Megan Mainzer, Family Services Coordinator