Pictured: Intisar Khan, Community Site Facilitator at Franklin Elementary
The Community Room in Franklin Elementary is a bustling place. Over the course of the hour we recently spent with Intisar Khan, Community Site Facilitator, two kids came in: one looking for some breakfast, the other for a different hat.
“The purpose of Full-Service Community Schools is to provide a holistic approach to education,” Intisar said. “That means focusing on not just the academic pieces like reading and math, but also focusing on the social-emotional side, wellness, and health. We have to think about basic needs, like access to food, clothing, and hygiene items. All of those things are important in helping a kid be successful at school.”
Intisar’s background is in education. She taught for six years in Florida and Connecticut, then for another two in Rochester Public Schools before taking on her current role last year.
“I was driven to this field because I'm passionate about making sure that all students have access to high quality education, regardless of their age, ability level, race, or gender,” she shared. “That's really important to me, and it really is what drives my work.”
Helping Students by Helping Families
The Community Room at Franklin Elementary cares for students’ health and wellbeing in many ways. It provides the food and clothing mentioned above. It coordinates dental clinics through Children’s Dental Health Clinic – another United Way partner – and monthly haircuts. It also provides services to students’ families.
“There are so many pieces that need to fit together to help a student do well in school, right?” Intisar said. “We need to think about our parents as well as our students, because they go hand-in-hand. If our parents are able to get what they need, then our students are able to benefit from that and get what they need.”
To address this need, Intisar used United Way funding to develop a Strategies for Success parent education series in the Community Room. They’ve covered topics like social-emotional skills, discipline, creating and maintaining routines, screen time, and sleep hygiene.
“We had some great facilitators talking on important topics,” Intisar reflected. “But I think one of the things that we don't always remember is parents need to have that sense of community and belonging and support. How are we creating spaces for that? So I think that that was a key part of this series, too.”
Listening and Learning
The Strategies for Success series came about because the community wanted it.
“I would say listening has been an integral part of this job,” Intisar shared. “When I first started, it was important for me to understand the needs of the community: What is really going well, and what are some things that community members want to see?”
Strategies like listening circles with students, parents, and Franklin Elementary staff provided insight into what the community needed the most. That way, Intisar was able to tailor the Community Room’s activities to her students’ and families’ specific needs.
“We also seek feedback,” she said, “so not just putting information out there in our newsletter and on our Community Hub page, but asking families, how was the service? What can we do to improve? And utilizing that feedback to drive our next event and improve.”
“I feel like I've been able to have quite an impact on my students with this new role,” Intisar shared. “It's been great to be able to connect with the community on a closer level and really work to ensure that we are listening to everyone.”
United Way of Olmsted County helps students reach their full potential in and out of school by working with partners like Rochester Full-Service Community Schools. Community Schools are partnerships between Rochester Public Schools, United Way of Olmsted County, the individual school site, and other community resources.