LANSING - The Michigan Department of Human Services has found that the schools with Family Resource Centers met their annual yearly progress goals at a much higher rate than those without Family Resource Centers. In the 2004-05 school year, 40 percent of schools with Family Resource Centers made enough progress to move off the annual yearly progress list, compared to 10 percent of the schools without a Family Resource Center. 32 schools have Family Resource Centers.

"Family Resource Centers are a key element in our commitment to providing a quality education to every child in Michigan," said Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. "By providing families with the services they need in a familiar, comfortable setting, these centers help ensure that students can succeed in the classroom."

Family Resource Centers have been operating in selected elementary and middle schools for the past two years. State and local agencies provide child and family services at the centers in the school building. The Michigan Department of Human Services has relocated staff to all of the state's Family Resource Centers.

"Our staff members and community partners act as central coordination points for families with children in the schools," Marianne Udow, director of the Michigan Department of Human Services, said. "This early intervention gets results for families and prevents longer term consequences for children and families."

The work that Department of Human Services family resource specialists do in the Family Resource Centers each day has a profound effect on the lives of the children in those schools. For example, a client at Harrison Park Elementary in Grand Rapids became a parent at age 15. At her first meeting with Karen Bowen, family resource specialist at Harrison Park Elementary, she was defensive, frustrated and didn't know whom to trust. She had a poor work history and her child was having attendance problems. The parent was also about to become homeless for the second time in less than a year and had not been successful in finding employment.

Bowen made a commitment to help the parent connect with employment so she could stay in her home, then went a step further and assisted her with finding furniture. The parent was referred to a neighborhood employer and was able to start in that position right away. This employment saved her from eviction, allowed her son to remain in school and allowed her to continue receiving the support she needed. She now pays her rent every month, leaving little left over, but she is doing well by budgeting and using community resources. Her child's attendance has also greatly improved.

"This parent is focused and determined to make good choices for her family," Bowen said. "I am proud to say that I provide services for this parent through the Family Resource Center. What a difference DHS has made for her family by working together as a community agency!"

Recognizing the tremendous impact Family Resource Centers can have on children, local collaborative groups around the state have worked to establish eight additional Family Resource Center sites using a variety of strategies.

Muskegon County opened three additional Family Resource Center sites. The Shiawassee County Department of Human Services and the Shiawassee Intermediate School District negotiated a contract to support two Department of Human Services family resource specialists who split their time between four local schools. A Grand Traverse County collaborative group worked together to identify and fund a Family Resource Center with local community support.

With the addition of the eight community-funded Family Resource Center sites, there are now a total of 46 Family Resource Centers in operation in the state of Michigan.

Continued Family Resource Center expansion is already under way, as the Kent County Administrator's office has taken the lead in forming a School Aged Services Network initiative. This initiative aims to open six additional Family Resource Center sites in Kent County for the 2006-07 school year. In addition to Kent County, 10 other DHS local offices have identified a total of 15 more potential new Family Resource Center sites.