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November 10, 2016  |  By SOW_Admin In Spotlights

Education Managers: Deepening Educational Impact

Education Managers blog

At School on Wheels, our goal is to improve the educational outcomes of students experiencing homelessness. That’s why this school year we’ve changed up our staffing model to allow our staff members to delve even further into the education needs of the 400+ students we serve every year.

In our old staffing model, our Program Manager, Erin, oversaw our Program Coordinators (PCs) who run tutoring while providing support to all of them throughout the school year. In our new model, Erin and another of our staff members, Karen, have moved into new Education Manager positions that both provide full­-time support to our 10 part-time Program Coordinators.

karen and erinAlong with serving as the liaison between School on Wheels and its 13 partner locations, our Education Managers help each Program Coordinator identify the needs of children and parents at our locations and create individualized intervention paths for families. So far this year, our Education Managers have already helped families choose schools that are a better fit for their children, taken them on school visits, helped students receive McKinney-Vento services and so much more.

By spending more time with each family, Karen and Erin’s new roles enhance our capacity to expand both the depth and reach of our programs. This shift in staffing is the first step in deepening School on Wheels’ impact for those in need, and is the first of many changes to come!

Today we hear from Erin about how her new Education Manager role has allowed her to deepen her impact with the families we serve!

1. How has your job changed in your new role? 

The most important change is now that I manage just half of the sites and PCs, rather than all of them, I have more time to dedicate to the families we serve.

2. What impact is your new role having on the families we serve?  

My new role as Education Manager allows me to go into the shelters more, and work with the PCs closer on the needs of the students and their families. The term that has been used around the office is “dig in deeper” and we are definitely able to do that now.

3. Can you share one of your favorite tutoring stories from this year so far that shows the impact that the Education Manager role is having?

One of the things I’ve noticed since first working at School on Wheels as a Program Coordinator is that many families who find themselves homeless in Indianapolis struggle to choose a school for their child. Some of the families we serve are already from Indianapolis and because of the McKinney-Vento Act they are able to keep their kids in the school where they started the year. This is great.

However, there are also many families that we serve who come from other cities in the state, and many times completely different states. There are so many school choice options that it is overwhelming for these families to evaluate all their options when they are dealing with MUCH bigger issues, like finding shelter. In my new role, I am now able to go into shelters, meet with parents about options for their kids, and help to get them enrolled in schools that they feel positive about. I have done that multiple times this year at our emergency shelters.

I am working with the family of an adorable little Kindergartner right now whose family is looking for a magnet program to fit his needs.  We have him applied now and are waiting to hear from the district!  Mom was SO happy to get that done. I can feel a weight come off these parents when we find a good spot for their children and get them enrolled.

Want to know more about our programs and how we engage the entire family? Click here to learn more about Ignite Learning.

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School on Wheels’ mission is to provide one-on-one tutoring and educational advocacy for school-aged children impacted by homelessness.

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School on Wheels Corp is a 501(c)(3) under federal tax guidelines. | EIN: 35-2151003

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Advocate and Engage

Why is School on Wheels important to you? What role has education played in your life? When you tell your story and share your connection to School on Wheels, you can help your friends, family, and co-workers understand the complexities of family homelessness and give them the tools to be part of the solution, too.

Help us bring attention to the critical issue of family homelessness and help others learn how education can break the cycle of poverty and homelessness. We offer information and insight on our social platforms so be sure to follow along and engage with us online or offline.

Connect with us on social to help raise awareness and support for #SharetheLoveIndy and School on Wheels!

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Donate

Every dollar makes a difference. A gift that’s meaningful to you is meaningful to us and positively impacts our programs.

A one time $10 donation provides a week’s worth of incentive prizes at one site for kiddos who accomplish milestones. A monthly recurring donation of $10 adds up to provide a month’s worth of tutoring for one child, plus a week’s worth of after school snacks at one site!

Make a one time or recurring donation that’s right for you online or check out other ways to give to School on Wheels here.

Would you rather send a check or give over the phone? Contact Amber Ewing, VP of Development, at amber@indysow.org or 317.202.9100.

Attend Events

We have three February events that make doing good extra fun. Attend one or all three and bring your friends!

Sweat for School on Wheels
Shred 415 in Carmel
12:15 pm on  February 3
$20 per person. Email indy@shred415.com to claim your spot today.

100% of proceeds will support School on Wheels 

Shop for School on Wheels 
Kendra Scott at Keystone Fashion Mall
1-4 pm on February 9

20% of proceeds will support School on Wheels

Sip for School on Wheels
Sun King downtown
6-9 pm on  February 25

$1 of each pint will support School on Wheels

Find full event details on our Facebook Events page. RSVP and invite your friends.

Create a Facebook Fundraiser

Anyone can set up a #SharetheLoveIndy Facebook fundraiser for School on Wheels! It’s more involved than adding a donate button to a post, but it’s still simple and is so much more impactful. Click the video above to learn how to create a Facebook fundraiser on your desktop or follow the steps below to get started!

  1. Open Facebook and select Fundraisers from the column to the left of your newsfeed.
  2. Click “Raise Money”
  3. Now choose “School on Wheels Indianapolis” from the non profit category.
  4. Choose how much you want to raise and when you want your fundraiser to end.
  5. Now you get to name your fundraiser and tell your story! Share why you chose the goal you did and why you care about School on Wheels. People give to people and your story will motivate your friends to support your goal.
  6. Finally, select the School on Wheels photo you want as your cover photo, click create and you’re ready to go.

Our video above will walk you through all the steps. If you need help crafting your message or creating your fundraiser, contact Claire Brosman at claire@indysow.org or 317.202.9100. Good luck!