SWAP Parent Resource Center

S.W.A.P. Parent Resource Center Growing to Support Needs
Posted on 02/23/2022
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DeSoto ISD opened the Parent Resource Center in partnership with local 501c3 organization, Serving with a Purpose (S.W.A.P.), to assist families with practical as well as educational needs.  As needs prior to and created by COVID-19 have grown, so has the Parent Resource Center. Come see for yourself at the open house scheduled for Thursday, April 14, 2022  from 6 to 7:30 pm at the former East Middle School campus, 601 E. Belt Line Rd., in DeSoto.

Initially designed to address the needs of one campus, the resource center is now available to all students and parents district wide.  In addition, the center now partners with the DeSoto Police Department through the CARE team as well as the DeSoto Domestic Violence Advisory Commission to provide immediate needs for crisis intervention and furniture for families that have been affected by disaster circumstances.  The two-room layout, one room for tutoring, training and/or computer access, the second room for the resource store, has expanded to the entire front corridor at the former East Middle School campus.  Support partners have grown as well, with the DeSoto Rotary Club adding their BUSS (belts, underwear, socks and shoes) project, as well as providing luggage to homeless and foster care students, as well as the district PTA adding a special room for teachers to mitigate their personal spending to supply some of their needed items.  S.W.A.P. also partners with Restored Life/Lion Heart to provide free counseling and other services to families, and Teachers Are Game Changers nonprofit which promotes and celebrates teachers.

“It has truly been a blessing to see the outpouring of support from the community,” expressed S.W.A.P. Parent Resource Center coordinator and S.W.A.P. founder Melissa Toney.  “These resources help address so many hidden needs in the district.”

In addition to food and clothing, S.W.A.P. hosts life skill classes that help educate on different subject matters including resume writing, interview skills, financial literacy, parenting, Microsoft, work/life balance and many more.  Encouraging personal growth and development, as stated in their published literature: “If your mom/dad didn't graduate from high school or college S.W.A.P. that out for a diploma and a degree.”

DeSoto ISD families may access needed supplies in the S.W.A.P. Parent Resource Center by contacting their campus counselor to complete the needs assessment form and set up an appointment to visit.  Emergency needs in the community can be requested through the DeSoto CARE team.

Persons interested in donating to the Parent Resource Center may visit https://servingwithapurpose.org/donations for more information.


About Serving With a Purpose (S.W.A.P.)

Founded in 2011, S.W.A.P’s mission is to partner with school districts, stakeholders and community partners to implant on campus resource and parent centers to provide free basic needs, life skills, and other resources to equip, educate, and empower students, their families and the community to expand and create opportunities, break generational curses and strongholds and set a solid foundation to be all God has called them to be.


For more information about S.W.A.P, visit https://servingwithapurpose.org/


About DeSoto Independent School District

DeSoto ISD is a public independent school district serving more than 7,400 students and 1,000 employees. The district comprises 10 campuses serving students from early childhood through graduation. DeSoto ISD’s mission is to ensure students, without exception, learn and grow at their highest level. The District’s 2021 Be The Future Strategic Plan focuses on equity, access, and excellence in an effort to provide a holistic and well-rounded educational experience to students and families in DeSoto, Glenn Heights, and Ovilla.


For more information about DeSoto ISD, visit www.desotoisd.org.