While participating in the Family Leaders for Ohio Schools Academy at the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center, Ohio parent Jaleesa developed a plan to create a crisis support protocol for her local school to use when families contact them in crisis. Read more about her plan below.
Introduction
The purpose of this project is to ensure that families experiencing crisis—such as domestic violence, housing instability, sudden job loss, or emergency childcare needs—receive immediate guidance, compassion, and access to resources when they reach out to the school for support. Currently, families in urgent situations may be told that certain services (such as after-school care) are unavailable without being provided with alternative options or referrals. This project aims to improve how the school responds in
these moments by creating a simple, clear, and supportive process for connecting families to available resources. By November 1, 2026, I will develop and implement a simple crisis support protocol that ensures families who communicate an urgent need receive at least three relevant community or school-based resources, along with a documented follow-up within 48 hours.
Goal
The main components of the project will include:
- A one-page Crisis Response Guide for staff outlining how to respond when a parent expresses urgent need.
- A Family Resource Sheet with local and school-based support services.
- A simple response and referral process to ensure families receive timely information and follow-up
Expected Outcomes
- Staff consistently providing resource information when families express urgent needs.
- Families receiving at least three relevant resources and a follow-up within 48 hours.
- Positive feedback from school staff indicating that the process is helpful and easy to use.
Ultimately, success means that no family in crisis is turned away without being offered guidance, support, or next steps.
Potential Challenges
- School policies and procedures related to after-school programs and liability may limit immediate solutions for childcare.
- Limited staff time and capacity to respond to additional responsibilities.
- Lack of training or awareness among staff on how to respond to crisis situations.
- Sensitivity and privacy concerns when families disclose personal or emergency situations.
- My own time constraints due to personal responsibilities and ongoing challenges.
- To address these barriers, this project is designed to be simple, low-cost, and easy to integrate into existing school processes without adding significant burden to staff.
Next Steps
- Monitoring & Success: Progress will be monitored through:
- Confirmation that materials have been created and distributed to appropriate staff
- Staff awareness and accessibility of the Crisis Response Guide
- Informal feedback from staff on usability and effectiveness
- Documentation (if applicable) that families in crisis are receiving resource referrals