School Based Staff
School based social workers or counselors have been part of the PACT for Families team since 1996. We employ ten full time and two part time staff working in twelve school districts across the five counties. The school districts include ACGC, Litchfield, BOLD, Buffalo Lake/Hector/Stewart, Hutchinson, Renville County West, Cedar Mountain, ECHO Charter School, Canby, New London/Spicer, and Willmar. One additional social work position in the Eden Valley/Watkins district is also supported through PACT for Families funding. Each person’s position is unique to the building and district in which they work. Four of the positions serve students in all grades K-12 (BOLD, Cedar Mountain, ECHO Charter, and Canby); the other positions have various assignments covering one or more of the elementary, middle school and high school sections, as assigned by the district.
PACT for Families school social workers/counselors work ten months, covering the school year with additional time for student and family contact at the start and end of the year. Some staff help with targeted services or special programming after the school year ends and into June; others work with a “jumpstart” program in late summer to help kids get re-engaged with school. During the school year, staff provide a critical link between school and students and their families. They are involved with Special Education programming and provide a combination of classroom presentations, small group sessions, and individual meetings with students. The social workers provide something unique to each building and the children in their care.
For a complete list of School staff, please see the PACT for Families Staff Directory page under the "About" tab.