Rome Parent Resource Center Adds New Programs for Families in Need

With the school year underway, classes have started at the Rome City Schools Parent Resource Center, providing parents and expecting parents with instruction and tools to help their students learn.

“To know you can start getting your child at an early age ahead of the game, it’s pretty amazing,” RCS Family Engagement Coordinator Laura Bucio said. “We try to get into the mindset that not every parent is going to know what other parents know.”

When the center opened in January, the focus was on early literacy the city school system started implementing more programs to improve literacy in the school system.

The classes started small, with only two or three parents in attendance, but as more parents came the demand for more classes grew, Bucio explained.

Since opening, the center has adapted to cater to the community’s needs, so at the start of the new school year, math and social-emotional classes were added.

Literacy and math coaches from RCS volunteer to teach these lessons. The center has a classroom for the parents and a room for childcare.

Some families need to bring their little ones, so we offer childcare and instructional time for children, Bucio said.

The classes are usually 30 minutes long and happen twice a month, on Tuesday or Friday. After class, Bucio said, parents are given books or instructional materials to take with them.

In the last ten months, class sizes have grown, with 20 parents attending the last two classes.

“I just hope they keep coming back,” Bucio said.

While one goal of the center was to improve early literacy in RCS students, the center was also designed to cater to the community’s needs.

“We want to be able to help the child’s entire well-being,” Bucio said. “We feel like academics and literacy are really important, but that won’t be their focus point if some of this is missing. We want to relieve some of the stress.”

As its name suggests, the resource center is a place for parents and families to get necessary items that they can’t easily obtain. From hygiene products and clothes to school supplies and books, the center tries to address any needs families may have.

Recently, the center got a shipment of shaving supplies and ordered new shoes and some clothes with a grant they received. The center is always updating what they offer when a new need arises, Bucio said.

“To keep current on what students and families need, we keep in contact with school counselors,” Bucio said. “The counselors know best what the day-to-day needs are for these families.”

RCS families and students can make an appointment with Bucio to visit the resource center to get supplies or wash their clothes.

“It’s very humbling when a family does show up,” Bucio said. “Whether they’re embarrassed or whatever it is, at the end of the day, they leave with exactly what they needed. I know that I’m helping them.”