REDFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – At every Redford Union Schools, you’ll find a washer and dryer. It may not be part of the curriculum but it’s proving to be a helpful tool in ensuring students make it to school more regularly.
“We know sometimes they don’t come to school because of food or laundry or transportation, or maybe their hairs not done and they don’t feel good about themselves so were eliminating those as best we can with the resources that we have,” said Beech Elementary School Principal, Melissa Nickel.
Any of the students and their families can send laundry to school and they take care of the rest. “They’re able to sign up to drop their laundry off, a member of our staff is assigned to wash that laundry, transfer, fold it and get it back to them within 2 days.”
About 15 families are utilizing the laundry services and in the new year, they’re hoping to open up the laundry room for caregivers to do laundry, including their own in the evening hours after school.
That’s not all Beech is doing to ensure the well-being of their students. They have a closet with extra clothes and winter coats, they send home personal care bags with things like deodorant, soap, a washrag and feminine hygiene products.
“I know that we care about their test scores, I know that we care about what they’re doing academically, whether they’re reading or not but my first priority as an educator and because of a mom piece is we have to feel safe.”
Nickels’ biggest worry is the upcoming winter break, where many of their students who receive free breakfast and lunches will be home without those meals. She’s sending as many students as she can home with food for the holidays. They’ve also collected toys so that kids and their siblings can have something to open on Christmas morning.
If you’re interested in helping Beech support its students, you can reach out to Melissa Nickel at 313-242-6101. You can also reach out by email at NickelM@redfordu.k12.mi.us.
Items they’d be happy to have include;
- Clothing: socks, underclothes, gloves and winter hats
- Food: pasta sauce, spaghetti, noodles, canned soup, Ramen, Chef Boyardee, granola bars, peanut butter and jelly
- Self-care items: feminine hygiene products, hair care products for all hair types, deodorant and toothpaste
- And grocery store gift cards which allow them to buy fresh produce
Beech families looking to connect with these extra services can also reach out to Melissa Nickel via email or phone.