Effective Wraparound Services
We ask principals what wraparound services they find most effective.
Topics: Family and Stakeholder Engagement
What wraparound services have you found most effective?
Utilize multiple supports. In Oklahoma, we have many nonprofits that are readily available to support our students with hunger, counseling needs, housing, and physical and mental health.
—Ashley Hoggatt, D.D. Kirkland Elementary School, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Partner on mental health services. Our district has a partnership with the Mercy Clinic [to place] licensed clinical mental health therapists in each school. With the rising mental health issues in children, this has been a critical component of helping our students [with] minimal lost instructional time.
—Janetta Davenport (@DrJDavenport), Liberty Elementary School, Franklin, Tennessee
Strengthen mental health supports. We have a strong partnership with Integrated Services of Kalamazoo as well as local therapists who come into the building to support student mental health needs.
—Carmen Maring (@Dr_Maring), Gull Lake Middle School, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Get parents involved. Our district has just begun a parental involvement program with free resources.
—Lindsey Millbrooks (@LindzMillbrooks), Lewisburg Elementary School, Olive Branch, Mississippi
Center community resources. Our district has a community center for families that are economically disadvantaged. In addition to a Head Start program, it offers afterschool academic and social support services. We partner with the center because the staff help facilitate the necessary trust we need from struggling families.
—Jessica Zimmer (@Mrs_ J_Zimmer), Shelter Rock Elementary School, Manhasset, New York
Find the right program. [We follow] the Foundations/Champs Program, which focuses on improving school climate and student behavior by establishing procedures and expectations for students while in the hallways, restrooms, cafeteria, and at recess.
—Nathaniel (Waller) Martin Jr. (@EEECEnterprise), Brookwood Elementary School, Enterprise, Alabama
Let students lead. We established the Student Success Team and the Big Eagle/Little Eagle peer-to-peer mentoring program, and we have a therapist on-site.
—Delaney Rosenberg, Ellis School, Fremont, New Hampshire
Prioritize SEL support. Two years ago, we hired an elementary counselor. She helps ensure our Tier 1 social-emotional curriculum is being used in classrooms and leads Tier 2 lunch groups based on social-emotional screening, teacher recommendations, and parent requests. When there is a need for additional support, we have a licensed mental health professional in our building twice a week.
—Jennifer Brown (@jbrownprincbela), BeLA (Bellefonte eLearning Academy) Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Host partners. We have a partnership with a program called New Heights that is housed at the middle school, but run by a pair of CHD mental health professionals. They work in conjunction with the school to get referrals for students who need a variety of supports from mental health, to academic assistance, to substance use.
—Nicole Manning, West Springfield Middle School, West Springfield, Massachusetts
Provide food assistance. We partner with the Maryland Food Bank to support a food pantry for parents. We recently installed a school garden where students will be growing vegetables to supplement the dry goods given away at the food pantry.
—Raegon Clutz (@RaegonClutz), Pangborn Elementary School, Hagerstown, Maryland
Focus on the whole child. The most effective wraparound services I’ve found for supporting students typically focus on addressing students’ holistic needs—academic, emotional, social, and physical—and create a supportive environment that helps students overcome barriers to success inside and outside the classroom.
—Patricia Wells-Frazier (@Patrici44782991), Panorama Elementary School, Brandywine, Maryland