That’s why the Nampa School District has invested in Family and Community Resource Centers (FCRCs) at six schools across the district to remove barriers to success.
Many Nampa families must choose between paying rent and providing necessities such as food, clothing and cleaning supplies.
“We have FCRCs because we want to make sure needs are met,” said Mari Ramos, FCRC coordinator. “We also work to create relationships with families so that we can get to the root cause of issues and change the trend of poverty in our community.”
Coordinators work with families to help find jobs or housing, connect them to training, provide tutors and mentors, connect them to wellness support or transportation, provide after-school programming or walk them through the process of applying for food stamps.
Full-time FCRCs are located at Central, Iowa and Snake River elementary schools. Three more centers at Sherman Elementary, West Middle School and Nampa High School (geared toward the needs of high school students) are open part time. The centers served 800 families last year, and about 500 families per month during the summer.
To volunteer or donate specific items, contact Ramos at (208) 565-8949 or [email protected].