A new option for New Hope Elementary School’s families and students needing basic necessities is now open and available to all.
On Thursday, Oct. 24, organizers through the federal Community Schools Grant Program and Orange County district leaders gathered to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony opening the New Hope Family Resource Center. Located at New Hope Elementary School in Chapel Hill, the facility is a grant-funded project aiming to equitably provide resources like food, clothing, internet access and more to families in the district.
New Hope Elementary, which is a Title I school, is embarking on this model through a U.S. Department of Education scaling grant given through partnership with the Duke Clinical Research Institute, the nonprofit Student U and the North Carolina Community Schools Coalition. The funding, which will last five years and provide roughly $57,000 to the school each year, requires the presence of a Family Resource Center and evaluation to measure students’ academic and personal wellbeing. It is one of the four initial schools in central North Carolina taking part in the grant-funded project, which aims to ramp up to add dozens more campuses within the next five years.
In addition to the center itself, the grant also funds the position of Community Schools Coordinator for New Hope, which is held by Cherokee McAdoo. McAdoo, who served as the elementary school’s social worker for a year prior to this new role, said she crafted the Family Resource Center to provide needs identified through extensive discussions with local families.
“People have voices, and I never want to be the person saying I’m speaking for someone,” McAdoo told Chapelboro at the ceremony. “I’m simply empowering their voices in spaces they don’t always get to be in. I want to be very intentional about when I’m meeting the needs, and when I’m saying the work is meeting the needs of the community, these are needs that have been discussed, had conversations about, and are part of our Asset and Needs Assessments.”
Some of those needs are simply as perishable and non-perishable foods, which will be on hand. Internet and wi-fi access are also critical for families who may not have stable connections at home, McAdoo said. Additionally, the Family Resource Center offers clothing for people to take and soon will have a free washer/dryer system set up for families to do their laundry. The space also has a bulletin board to share upcoming events around the school, district and region, and provides an opportunity for people to speak directly with McAdoo.
Visitors peruse the New Hope Family Resource Center after its ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 24.
Among its resources and offerings, the Family Resource Center collects clothing and household items for people to take home for personal use.
Luke Carman is the Student U Director of Community School Partnerships and is working directly with McAdoo and Orange County Schools through the duration of the grant. He described Student U’s role as the regional implementation partner for the district, since it has experience working with Durham Public Schools’ community schools that began organically years ago. Carman said he believes the model benefits the entire community to help everyone thrive, like the Rosenwald schools in the 19th and 20th centuries.
“I think it supports or re-orients school districts, neighborhoods, [and] communities,” he said, “to reimagine and remind themselves that schools are a public good that serve to benefit not just students, but their families and the wider community as well.”
New Hope Elementary is a prime spot for the model based on its success so far in community engagement, family involvement, and overall support of its diverse student population. Just a day before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the school was recognized as one of the top public schools to have closed the achievement gap between student groups by the state Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Federal Programs. The honor means New Hope Elementary will be considered for a national award based on its work.
Principal Meredith Maier spoke at the ribbon-cutting and said the center is an example of how “radical, positive change” is possible at the school through intentionally prioritizing grassroot issues brought by families.
“I deeply believe school improvement is community work,” Maier said. “We want to continue to expand and develop our already-meaningful community partnerships, and to [cultivate] New Hope to be a true hub for our entire community — to learn, give and grow together. And to keep that going for, at the very minimum, the next five years and hopefully into perpetuity.”
“Everything is stocked, everything is free, all the resources are available for our families at any time,” the principal added, “and Cherokee has been responsible for the development integration. Everything from the paint color to all the clothes that you see hanging inside.”
Out of all the details McAdoo worked out for the resource center, she said she is particularly proud of the location and physical access families will have. The space is on the back side of the school near the school bus parking lot, and accessible from its own entrance to avoid having to enter the main school building.
“I wouldn’t want to lug my dirty clothes through an entire school building in order to come access a washer and dryer,” said McAdoo. “I want people to still have pride [when] being able to access these resources — that’s part of accessibility for me. So, [being] very intentional about location was the biggest thing for me, and securing this spot where we have a kiosk, so people don’t have to come to the front office. We have the kiosk that works in the same manner, so people can come [directly] here and we’re still following safety and security protocols.”
Another Orange County elementary school is part of the grant program and will have its own Family Resource Center soon: Central Elementary in Hillsborough. Carman said Central Elementary has its own coordinator staffed and working to engage with families on how a center could address their own set of needs. He added that the goal is for the coordinators’ work to eventually evolve to see how the resource centers could partner and benefit other, nearby schools in the district.
McAdoo said that she hopes the blueprint that will be created by New Hope’s facility sets an example of support for families — not just within Orange County Schools, but even more educational systems.
“This Community School work is very impactful and very empowering,” said McAdoo. “I think the work that we are continuing to do here at New Hope — and growing into at New Hope — is feasible for other communities.”
For now, the New Hope Family Resource Center is open from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. by appointment, with families and community members encouraged to contact McAdoo directly to schedule a time to use it.
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Thank you for this article, I would like to know how to donate. Can you send or publish a link for the Family Resource Center at New Hope Elementary?
Hi Laura! Please email cherokee.mcadoo@orange.k12.nc.us for information on how to donate to the family resource center.