Connecting families to public benefits and local services
Public Policy Lab Benefit Access
Challenge & Goal
Hunger, housing instability, and low household income are major drivers of student stress and absenteeism in NYC schools, directly impacting academic outcomes. Schools, as trusted community anchors, are uniquely positioned to help, but staff often lack the tools, time, and confidence to connect families with public benefits. Our goal was to co-design a scalable strategy and toolkit that empowers school teams to consistently and effectively refer families to the support they need.
My Role & Leadership
As a Senior Fellow at the Public Policy Lab, I led Phase 2 of Benefits Access, guiding a human-centered, participatory design process over a seven-month period. Together with a multidisciplinary team, I oversaw research, co-design, and field testing with nearly 200 participants across 21 NYC Community Schools — including principals, guidance counselors, teachers, parent coordinators, and families. I shaped the overall strategy, ensured tools were adaptable to diverse school contexts, and collaborated with the Office of Community Schools on implementation planning.
Outcomes & Impact
Benefits Access delivered a three-phase strategy and a flexible toolkit of ten practical tools — from outreach posters and family surveys to action plans and local resource lists — designed to amplify existing school-family relationships. The initiative increased staff capacity to identify family needs, have meaningful conversations, and provide tailored referrals to housing, food, cash, immigration, health, and employment services. Today, Benefits Access is available citywide, helping NYC community schools build stronger, more supportive connections with the families they serve.
Community School Conference, June 2019
Process & Details
This seven-month co-design initiative engaged nearly 200 school staff and families across 21 NYC Community Schools. The following snapshots highlight how we applied human-centered design to develop a scalable strategy and toolkit.
Research Sessions Facilitated in-depth conversations with school staff to identify families’ top needs and surface barriers in the referral process, ensuring the strategy was grounded in real-world school contexts.
Co-Design Workshops Collaborated with school teams to co-create solutions, refine design concepts, and ensure tools were adaptable to diverse roles, capacities, and community needs.
School Pilots Tested outreach materials during live events, like parent-teacher conferences, gathering feedback from staff and families to improve content, clarity, and approach.
Strategy & Approach
Benefits Access is structured around a three-phase strategy — Prepare, Reach Out, Connect — designed to help schools tailor referrals to their specific community and team capacity. The flexible approach offers multiple pathways for connecting families to support, from sharing basic information to facilitating one-on-one conversations.
Strategy Diagram
Referral Pathways Chart
Toolkit, Resources & Implementation
The Benefits Access toolkit includes ten customizable tools that help school staff raise awareness, understand family needs, and provide clear, actionable referrals across six key benefit areas. Alongside outreach materials, surveys, info sheets, and action plans, the initiative offers practical implementation resources — including monthly planners and templates — to help school teams launch, plan, and embed Benefits Access into daily practice.
Outreach materials Developed posters, flyers, email templates, and phone scripts that help schools raise awareness about available benefits.
Family Survey Created a survey tool to help schools understand family interests and preferred communication channels, grounding outreach in real needs.
Benefits 101 Sheets Designed clear, accessible info sheets to help staff and families navigate eligibility, next steps, and available supports across benefit types.
Action Plan Tool Equipped staff with a guided worksheet to help families define next steps and feel supported after benefits conversations.
Monthly Planner Part of the How-To Guide, the monthly planner helps school teams map outreach activities, track progress, and align implementation with their community’s needs.