Henry Daily Herald

Special Photo Henry County Schools recently open its Family Resource Center at a new location, a former residence at 61 North Zack Hinton Pkwy., in McDonough.

McDONOUGH — Henry County Schools has moved its Family Resource Center from a corner office in Stockbridge, to its new home next door to the Henry County Board of Education Central Office in McDonough.

The center serves families throughout Henry County, and provides them with resources to help them better navigate academic and social issues that arise during the school year.

School officials confirmed the resource center’s new facility is a former 1,900-square foot, six-room residence now owned by the school board. It is located at 61 North Zack Hinton Parkway in McDonough. The original center opened in September 2007, at the Henry County Schools Education Center in Stockbridge.

“It is a beautiful and homey space for our resources and will provide parents a welcoming, relaxing facility to enjoy,” said Anna Arnold, Henry’s coordinator of Family Resource and Safe Schools.

Arnold said the new, larger center is an opportunity to increase parental involvement from a more centralized location.

“As we are more centrally located, we should be more accessible as we are walking distance from the Central Office,” she continued.

Arnold noted different resources available to families at the center, including reading and math support, homework instructional strategies for parents, and bullying and cyber-bullying prevention tools, as well as computer access through the center’s computer lab.

Eighteen of the district’s schools (with Title I status) presently have school-level family resource centers. Arnold said a cooperative funding source through the federal Title I Program and the school district’s Administrative Services Department helps keep operations going throughout the district.

“We are organizing a group of dedicated parent volunteers to assist visitors when they stop by the center for materials and support,” she added. “Right now, we are open by appointment. As soon as I am able to recruit parent volunteers to help operate the center, we will be able to post our hours of operation.”

Arnold plans to begin a family help series on “Parenting the Love and Logic Way,” a series of parenting classes. She said her department will host one class on the series each month, for six months, starting in September. The classes are scheduled to take place at the Henry County Board of Education Administrative Offices, 33 North Zack Hinton Parkway in McDonough.

Those interested in participating in the class are asked to contact Arnold at arnola@henry.k12.ga.us.