HOUSTON – For many parents, back to school can be a financial burden.
Last school year, the Houston Independent School District announced it was eliminating its wraparound services department, which helped families struggling to provide necessities to their children.
“[I was] worried, as were other parents in my situation; how are they going to do it?” said Maria Reynoso, who has a son in high school in HISD. “Economically, everything’s getting high, but our paycheck is still the same amount.”
KPRC 2 Investigates met Reynoso at HISD’s Sunrise Center set-up inside Mission Milby on Broadway in southeast Houston. She was picking up school supplies and clothes for her son.
SEE ALSO: Kinder Institute uses research to help HISD improve Sunrise Centers
Reynoso said the cost of ensuring her son has what he needs for school means making tough choices.
“I’m still trying to see if I’m not going to get evicted from my apartment,” said Reynoso.
“So, the choice is get everything your teenager needs or pay rent?” asked 2 Investigates’ Robert Arnold.
“Yes, for me it’s get everything I need for school or pay rent?” said Reynoso.
In prior years, HISD’s wraparound services department would help struggling families connect with support services, enabling their children to attend class and learn. Budget constraints and dwindling enrollment forced HISD to shutter this department.
However, the district opened seven Sunrise Centers in the fall of 2023. HISD partnered with the Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC), which is part of Rice University’s Kinder Institute, to determine where the Centers should be located and what services should be offered.
The centers offer food, clothes, educational support, healthcare, mental health support, help with transportation, and a variety of other services.
Rice’s data shows 80 percent of HISD students are economically disadvantaged. HISD opened an eighth center this month at Marian Community Center on South Gessner in southwest Houston.
“We know that when kids aren’t well, or if they’re not being serviced with food or clothes, sometimes that adds to truancy, that they don’t go to school. So, this is a way to help that, support that, and then get the attendance up as well,” said HISD superintendent Mike Miles.
HISD’s data shows that in the first year of operation, the Centers served 30,900 families, and Rice’s data shows that those who went to a Center showed a 33-percent improvement in attendance or behavior.
One of the differences between the centers and the now shuttered wraparound services department is that they are in the community, and families can walk in without an appointment.
“It was hard to get an appointment at the school, and up here you can just walk in, and then they can see you right there and then instead of trying to get an appointment,” said Reynoso.
Rice researchers point out that it is easier to measure effectiveness at the Centers since students’ needs are in one place. Before the Centers, students and their families would go to a school and get a referral for support at different locations.
The Centers were set up within existing community centers like Mission Milby, the YMCA, or City of Houston facilities. According to Rice, HISD is hoping to eventually expand to 12 Centers to reach all underserved communities identified by HERC.
“They do ask what school your kids go to? And they, the people, that’s their work for HISD, so they know how to help you and what you’re needing for that certain grade,” said Reynoso.
Here are the locations of the HISD Sunrise Centers
- Brock Re-Engagement Center: 1417 Houston Avenue, Houston, TX 77007
- Baker Ripley Gulfton-Sharpstown Campus: 6500 Rookin Street, Houston, TX 77074
- Star of Hope/Buckner (Cornerstone Campus): 2575 Reed Road, Houston, TX
- Mission Milby Community Development Corp: 2220 Broadway Street, Houston, TX 77012
- Morefield Boys & Girls Club : 5950 Selinsky Road, Houston, TX 77048
- West Orem Family YMCA: 5801 West Orem Drive, Houston, TX 77085
- Youth Development Center (YDC): 6050 Bretshire Drive, Houston, TX 77016
- Marian Park Community Center: 11101 S Gessner Rd, Houston, TX 77071
More information on Sunrise Centers can be found here.