Coordinating School and Family Care

In collaboration with SPS Family Support Program and McKinney-Vento Program, AAMA’s Family Support Workers collectively work with families, educators, and community partners to ensure black boys and teens have access to supports needed to be socially, emotionally, and academically strong. They help students and families access basic needs, collaborate with school staff members for academic, social, and emotional learning, and assist in multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS).

Our FSWs mainly target black boys with barriers in the following areas: academics, attendance, mobility, behavior, sense of belonging and cultural relevance. As community is integral to all the work in our office, our FSWs prioritize family engagement, networking with school staff, and community organizations to ensure students have what they need to thrive both in and out of the classroom.

AAMA Family Support Workers

AAMA expanded resource access and cultural representation by hiring two full-time family support workers (FSWs). These FSWs provide case management for over 60 families across 26 schools including our East African families and scholars. Most of the work consists of one-on-one mentoring and school and home visits to develop individualized support plans. AAMA Family Support Workers are centrally at the JSCEE district office but are primarily on school campuses with students.

These key roles are essential for direct- and system-level support to Seattle families, students, and staff members, including:

• Wraparound services. Connecting with students, counselors, social workers, and behavioral specialists to provide social and emotional, health, housing, basic needs, and academic support.
• Peer-to-peer restorative circles. Piloted at Cascadia Elementary School (grades 3–5) and McClure Middle School (grades 6–8), these regular circles are spaces for student connection, modeling emotion regulation feedback, discussing culture, and improving belonging and engagement.
• Culturally relevant practices. In addition to direct student support, the team provides support to care coordinators at Lincoln High School, Nathan Hale High School, Meany Middle School, Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, and John Rogers Elementary School and regularly engages with the Special Education Department and behavior specialists in culturally responsive practices.