ST. LOUIS — School will be back in session for students in St. Louis in less than a month, and organizations are preparing families for success.
The Hub in St. Louis' Ville neighborhood was a one-stop-shop for Martina Ewing and her two boys on Saturday.
The first 50 families who visited the Back-to-School Family Fun Day received free school backpacks and school supplies.
There were raffles, games, and other opportunities spread throughout the building to support students, including access to the Walker Scottish Rite Clinic which provides speech and therapy services.
"I love the fact that we have available resources for children who have speech difficulties. My three-year-old. He's kind of struggling with that," Ewing said.
Nina Mendoza, a speech and language pathologist, advised that school planning can be stressful for both parents and their little ones.
"Some of our kids might have trouble communicating that they are having difficulties. It can be easy to overlook."
The Walker Scottish Rite Clinic, located inside The Hub, serves kids 2 to 6 years old by providing speech and language support free of charge.
"Giving our children exercises through play. A lot of times they don't even know that they are working on their speech and language so it's really important to make things fun and then educational for our parents and caregivers especially," Mendoza added.
"You will be sending your kids out to the world so it's very important that you build that confidence and that speech within your child," Ewing echoed.
There was a similar mission at CareSTL Health on St. Louis' northside on Saturday. Families loaded the hallways of the community health center as they waited to get their physicals and vaccinations, all requirements for returning to the classroom.
A DJ and food giveaway set the tone for an active celebration outside the building on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive.
More than 40 vendors engaged families with physical and mental health resources, free haircuts, clothes, gun education, and other social services to equip them for a successful start.
"We all know we have gone through a lot of trauma and we know we have post COVID so these children need to feel safe again. They need to trust that we have their healthcare and we have their life in our best interest," said Angela Clabon, president and CEO.
The Walker Scottish Rite Clinic inside the Hub and CareSTL Health are both open to families year-round.