28 new school resource centers help ensure student success

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – More than 33,000 Kentucky students now have access to supplemental services at school thanks to the recent opening of 28 new Family Resource Youth Services Centers (FRYSC), or “friskies” centers as they are commonly called. Kentucky now has 854 FRYSCs across the Commonwealth.

The primary goal of the centers is to remove non-academic barriers to learning in order to enhance student academic success. FRYSCs may provide referrals to health services, tutoring, clothing, food and other resources to students and their families. In the 2018 General Assembly, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) Division of Family Resource Youth Services Centers (FRYSC) was awarded approximately $8 million additional dollars to further the work of these local school-based centers. FRYSC held a competitive grant review for eligible schools statewide, resulting in the creation of the new centers.

CHFS staff celebrated the additional centers with educators, students, legislators and community leaders at an open house at the Family Resource Center (FRC) at the Warren County school district’s Henry F. Moss Middle School in Bowling Green.

The new centers represent 33,225 students who will now have access to FRYSC services, which work to enhance students’ ability to succeed in school by developing and sustaining partnerships that promote early learning and successful transition in school, academic achievement and well-being, and graduation and transition into adult life.

In addition to opening new centers, a portion of the additional funding was used to reconfigure existing centers, allowing them to serve the school population more effectively. In total, 53 existing centers have been reformatted to maximize services.

Locations of the new FRYSCs centers are listed below.

New FRYSCs Centers in Kentucky

To learn more, log onto the Cabinet’s homepage: chfs.ky.gov and type FRYSC in the “What can we help you find?” search bar.