New Highland Rise Family Resource Center

Engaging Families
When families are involved with their child’s school, everything improves, from student performance and family satisfaction to school and community relationships. In low-income, urban communities, barriers such as language and lack of resources add to lower levels of engagement. By creating resource hubs attached to neighborhood schools and engaging families, Lincoln propels them to realize their potential, build economic self-sufficiency, and achieve greater capacity for supporting the healthy development, academic success, and well-being of their children.

The Lincoln Solution: Family Resource Centers
Through providing access to information, connections to community resources, and opportunities to develop new skills, Lincoln’s Family Resource Center (FRC) currently serves families of New Highland Academy and RISE Community School in east Oakland. Lincoln’s school-based center is the catalyst for community healing and profound improvements in family and neighborhood life. We seek to partner with additional schools and communities in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.

Our Unique Model
Lincoln’s FRC staff collaborates with the school’s Parent Advisory Board and other community partners to provide a spectrum of services that propel families toward realizing their full potential. The primary goal of our FRC is to build on the strengths of families and develop their capacity for supporting the healthy development and educational objectives of their children.

Offerings
Through our program offerings, Lincoln’s FRC provides education that addresses core issues while creating community and change, and generating sustainable support networks. Families can attend ongoing programs, classes, and informal gatherings, including:

  • Classes in English as a Second Language (ESL) and computer literacy

  • Community Closet and gardening

  • Family coaching

  • Food Give-Away Program

  • Healing Circles

  • Medical coverage enrollment

  • Nutrition/urban strategies

  • Parent and student book clubs

  • Parent leadership development and academic advocacy

  • Parenting workshops

  • Preschool play group for mothers and toddlers

  • Walking club

  • Zumba and yoga

The Program in Action
The majority of programs and classes offered at the FRC run parallel to the schools’ schedules. Occasionally, we host a speaker or special informative evening program. In these cases, we offer free child care for attending families. We also offer special drop-in hours for families to come to our center for individual family coaching, agency referrals, and computer access. Drop-in hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:45-10 a.m. Afternoon drop-in hours are available on Thursdays from 2-4 p.m. Families also have access to our Community Closet, which provides clothing and household items at no cost.

Registration is available at the FRC or by calling 510.273.4700. Priority is given to new families or to families who have been referred to us by teachers and principals.

Community Partners and Resources