INDIANAPOLIS — A new addition to Indianapolis Public Schools is now providing students and their parents access to vital services — all at no additional cost.
The Family Resource Center at Arlington Middle School is now open.
The 3,000-square-foot hub is a one-stop shop for IPS families.
“We create stronger schools, stronger families and a stronger community," Superintendent Dr. Aleesia Johnson said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday.
The Family Resource Center offers medical services, mental health support, youth development programs, family assistance, vision care, athletic opportunities, and more.
“It’s a lot of very flexible space," Charity Henry said. “Organizations come in and provide physicals. We have dental services that use these spaces and support the students. We have a lot of flex space so we’ll be able to provide counseling services for students and families.”
Henry is an IPS alum, and so are her children.
She says decades in the district have shown her just how much a center like this is needed.
“It means so much to me because I can support families, students and be what they need in just one space, instead of having to go here and there," the current FRC Coordinator said.
The FRC is made possible through partnerships with local organizations like Community Health Network, Reach for Youth and Outreach Inc, to name a few.
The center also has a food pantry, and access to school uniforms, hygiene items and school supplies.
Arlington Middle School Principal Dr. Iesha Billups says this comes at a time when many of her students and their families live in a food desert.
“A lot of things around us have closed. The stores, grocery stores, anything around here that could help the community. So with having the Family Resource Center here, it brings the community together," Dr. Billups said.
Dr. Billups says the FRC wouldn’t be possible without the district’s Rebuilding Stronger Plan.
“It’s definitely opened up doors for students, families and communities to access something we haven’t had in the past," she said.
The Family Resource Center is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
