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Supporting student wellness is essential to academic success. Across all New Designs campuses, a partnership with Shields for Families plays a critical role in providing services for students experiencing challenges with their behavioral, emotional, and mental health needs. This partnership is embedded in daily school life, allowing meaningful support to be responsive, coordinated, and easily accessible.
This approach reflects a shared belief across New Designs schools: learning is strongest when schools respond to the full reality of students’ lives, not just what appears on a report card.
New Designs provides students with direct services when needs arise and allows families to receive guidance, referrals, and assistance to help them navigate challenges that may affect attendance, focus, or overall well-being. Shields staff work closely with school teams so that proper care is aligned with academic expectations and classroom support.
Because these relationships are already in place, families do not have to navigate systems alone or wait for challenges to escalate. Support is available through trusted adults on campus who understand both the student and the family context.
At New Designs Charter School, the belief is simple and unwavering: students cannot thrive academically if their basic needs are unmet. Learning improves when families feel supported, respected, and welcomed.
Throughout the fall semester, all New Designs campuses addressed food insecurity as a core responsibility of the school community. This work was not done as an emergency response or a temporary solution. Instead, it was built into how schools show up for families—with consistency, dignity, and care.
At New Designs Watts, families responded quickly anytime food distributions were announced. This response reflects the trust that is already in place. Parents arrived knowing they would be welcomed without judgment. The school community witnessed students smiling and helping carry groceries for their parents and others, turning moments of support into shared experiences that reflected empathy and responsibility.
At New Designs University Park and Adams, offering food support was often connected to campus gatherings and family events by design. This approach reinforced the idea that meeting basic needs and building relationships go hand in hand. The school’s support was offered in safe spaces that felt familiar and community-centered, not transactional.
These efforts reflect New Designs Charter School’s role in the California Community Schools Partnership Program. Through this model, academics, health services, family engagement, and community partnerships are purposefully aligned to support the whole family—not just the student sitting in a classroom.