DPS Foundation's New Arrivals, student and family fund, a relief fund
Donate NowWe know that when our students and families thrive, we all benefit. The DPS Foundation’s New Arrivals, Student & Family Fund will work to ensure new DPS families are supported as they enter the Denver community so that new to country students have the resources they need to become leaders and societal contributors. With the trust of the community, DPS Foundation will ensure the funds go to the area of greatest need to support schools, DPS Community Hubs and wrap-around services to ensure that refugees, migrants and DPS families have what they need to thrive.
We have officially met our match! Thanks to The Denver Foundation and Rose Community Foundation, your donations will be matched up to $50,000 for the New Arrivals, Student & Family Fund. Thank you to The Denver Foundation and Rose Community Foundation for their community leadership in the space of migrant and new arrival support!
What is the need?
There are over 3,400 new to the country students at Denver Public Schools since last summer. About 75% of DPS schools have received new-to-country students this school year (since July 2023), while 11 schools have received a far greater percentage of these new-to-country students. Considering many of these new arrivals came after the October Count, meaning the schools weren’t provided funding for these students, this influx is greatly impacting our schools in a multitude of ways. Ensuring these students have what they need to succeed is critical and many schools are overwhelmed by the need for additional supports, staffing and resources. With that, DPS has a unique role in supporting these schools directly.
Prior to launching this fund, the DPS Foundation team embarked on a listing tour, visiting highly impacted schools in our district that have welcomed 50 or more new to country students. We had an opportunity to have calls or visits with over 25 schools.
As of April 2024, we have allocated over $300,000 to 25 different DPS schools and departments! These funds are being used for school supplies, additional curriculum, basic student needs, and translation services.
What is DPS currently doing to support new arrivals students and families?
Support school choice and registration – including
- Multilingual Learner Education (MLE) Program options & transportation
- Host Family Welcome Meetings for students, families and caregivers of newly arrived students
- Provide support with administration of:
- Home Language Questionnaire (HLQ)
- Parent Permission Form (PPF) – to select MLE program
- English language proficiency assessment – World-class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) Screeners
- Plan with school leaders to reconfigure resources and staff, strategically align budget, and seek additional resources & full time employees as needed
- Development of New Arrivals Toolkit as one-stop-shop for all schools
The DPS Foundation supports the Community Hubs, what impact has this had on the Community Hubs/FACE?
FACE has and will continue to provide the following support:
- FACE Family Connect (FFC): 19% of intensive case management
- Partnerships and Resources: Process of finalizing a resource guide for families and staff
- ESL, GED & Workforce: Participating in ESL, GED and workforce supports
- Vaccine Clinics: Coordinated vaccine clinics at various schools – nearly 3,000 vaccines to date
- Food Drive: Designated food drives to address food insecurity with migrant community
- Donation and Volunteer Drives: Requests to community and bringing in additional resources and volunteers
- Community Hubs: Community Hubs are equipped to support these families as their supports promote families’ well-being and potential for self-sufficiency by meeting their needs through wraparound services including transportation assistance, legal supports, and school enrollment, providing mental health support, and addressing their feelings of uncertainty regarding their future employment opportunities by offering educational programming, including GED courses in Spanish, at no cost to participants.
The Community Hubs collaborate with local organizations to offer a culturally responsive model that utilizes multi-generational strategies to address basic needs and maximize people’s potential. Each site connects participants with referrals to affiliated partners and enrolls participants in relevant courses offered at the centers. Support includes utility assistance; free, on-site grocery stores; family-centered mental health services; English language classes; financial literacy classes and more.
What are schools' highest needs right now? What could the New Arrivals Student & Family Fund support?
Can the community contribute?
Yes! The more funds that DPS Foundation has, the more that can be given directly to the schools, programs and services that need it the most.
Click HERE to make a donation today or you can also mail checks directly to DPS Foundation:
DPS Foundation
1860 Lincoln Street, 10th Floor
Denver, CO 80203
Does DPS Foundation take a management fee from these funds?
If you were unable to attend our New Arrivals, Student & Family Fund virtual event on January 18, we are sorry we missed you. You can still learn more about the DPS Foundation’s new fund and watch the full webinar recording here. And, you can always share this out with others who you think could be interested!
Resources
How to Get Involved
Bilingual (English & Spanish) Volunteers Needed
If you are interested in learning more about the different opportunities available in DPS, you can join one of the upcoming DPS Job Fairs! Click here to learn more.
George Washington High School Community Volunteers: Click HERE to sign up today!
Amazon Wish Lists
Click HERE to view the Amazon Wish Lists for some of the impacted DPS schools.
For families seeking immediate resources, please reach out to info@dpsfoundation.org.