The Public Schools of Robeson County, North Carolina [PSRC], as part of its Project SCORE (School Counseling Opportunities in Robeson Education) Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration grant, has invested creativity, collaboration, and energy to ensure strong connections for students’ families despite public health imperatives for physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The district has initiated regular family support opportunities through scheduled on-line events, and maintains open communication, in part through an electronic newsletter. Project SCORE has developed and managed partnerships with several community organizations to share essential information with parents, mitigate their social isolation, and maintain awareness of their evolving needs.
The district is currently planning and preparing for the fourth bimonthly SCORE Family Engagement Virtual Night event of the school year. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when in-person gatherings can be dangerous and are strictly limited, the virtual events have proven to be increasingly popular among local families. These virtual events work in conjunction with the district’s Mental Health Minute Newsletters to provide families with practical information and resources to help address the mental health needs of their young students, and of all members of the students’ families and households.
Partners from mental health, public health, and healthcare are invited to speak to families about mental health and provide information, tools, and skills that help them reach their goals for living healthier, happier, and more successful lives—however that may look for them. The goal of family engagement nights is to build resiliency in the homes, within families’ personal lives, and the lives of all children, to support successful and equitable academic growth and healthier social and emotional well-being.
For more information on PSRC’s Virtual Family Engagement Events, please visit here.