Press Release
Submission Date: August 14, 2012
Release Date: For Immediate Release
New Family Resource Center Opens Doors
HENRY COUNTY, GA – When it comes to students learning, much of their success is centered on parental involvement. Now parents in Henry County have a centrally located resource center to provide them with numerous materials that focus on a wide array of classroom subjects and social issues like bullying prevention.
On Thursday, August 9, the Henry County Schools’ Family Resource Center held an Open House to welcome parents from all over the county to their newest opportunity for tools and materials to help their students thrive inside and outside classroom walls.
Anna Arnold, Center Coordinator and Henry County Schools’ Family Resource and Safe Schools Coordinator, is quick to point out the many benefits of the program, but she also knows there is room for buy-in from the parents. As she explains, they hope to utilize the very audience they are targeting to help when the center’s doors are open.
“We are organizing a group of dedicated parent volunteers to assist visitors when they stop by the center for materials and support,” said Arnold. “Right now, we are open by appointment.”
While the center located at 61 N. Zack Hinton Parkway is receiving parents for the first time adjacent to the Henry County Schools’ Administrative Offices, this isn’t the first Family Resource Center in the county.
The original center was opened in September of the 2007-2008 school year. The location at that time was in Stockbridge at the Henry County Schools’ Education Center. While the main Family Resource Center is set to help any parent in the county, each school with Title I status has their own resource center to help parents of students attending that particular school. Henry County Schools currently has 18 schools with Title I status.
“The purpose of the Family Resource Center is to help families implement strategies and programs that promote and enhance the academic achievement of our children and strengthen partnerships among parents, teachers, administrators, other school personnel, and the community,” said Arnold.
A cooperative funding source through the Title I program and the Administrative Services Department for the district helps keep things up and running and available for any parent of the nearly 40,000 students in Henry County Schools.
Areas of assistance for parents include the following:
- Reading and math support
- Time and stress management
- Creative instructional strategies for teachers and parents
- Cultural diversity
- Bullying and cyber bullying prevention
- Computer access (6 computers in the Center’s lab)
- Community outreach
- Scientifically researched parenting strategies and programs
The last item mentioned on the list prompts Arnold to remind everyone of an upcoming parenting series provided to interested individuals in September.
“We will begin a series using the highly acclaimed parenting program, Parenting the Love and Logic Way.”
She goes on to share that dates and times will be posted on the district’s website toward the end of August, but a spot can be reserved in advance by emailing her at arnola@henry.k12.ga.us.
For more information, please visit www.henry.k12.ga.us.
Photo 1-IMG_0020 (top): Anna Arnold (back row, left) and Dr. Sandra Moore (back row, right) speak with a parent and her child at the Open House for the Family Resource Center. Arnold is the Center Coordinator and Henry County Schools’ Family Resource and Safe Schools Coordinator. Dr. Moore is the Federal Programs Coordinator for the school system, which covers Title I.
Photo 2-IMG_0017: Individuals share a conversation in one of the resource rooms at the new Family Resource Center for Henry County Schools.
