Every school day, family resource center director Sale Hightower has to think on her feet as she helps students find a winter coat, get school supplies or deal with a problem at home.

With the start of the new year, Hightower is coordinating two new family resource centers recently added to Potter Gray and W.R. McNeill elementary schools. Coming from her previous job as the assistant director of Bowling Green High School’s youth services center, she’s learning to work more directly with families.

“I’m excited to work with the elementary population. It’s different, but I enjoy the little ones,” Hightower said Friday while seated behind her desk at Potter Gray Elementary. The school’s family resource center has shelves stacked with boys and girls clothing.

Family resource and youth services centers provide students with the basics, like food assistance and clothing, but differ in their approach. Hightower’s new role will involve family home visits, and she’ll divide her time between both schools where almost 900 students could potentially need her help.

“I think it’s one of the most important things that the schools do,” said Hightower, who’s also a licensed clinical social worker. She added that the center is always in need of backpacks, boys and girls athletic pants and leggings. Donations can be dropped off at both schools.

The centers assist with students’ basic needs, but help with other services, too, such as coordinating mental health counseling.

“The centers are used as a clearinghouse for services,” said D.G. Sherrill, director of pupil personnel for the Bowling Green Independent School District.

Sherrill said the district decided to split a family resource coordinator between both Potter Gray and McNeill because their combined at-risk students were about equal to other school’s at-risk populations.

The hope is to give both schools more attention, he said.

“We’re always looking at ways we can improve delivery of services,” he said.

That also includes revisiting the district’s approach to mental health counseling, Sherrill said.

Amy Carter, who previously coordinated the family resource center at Dishman-McGinnis Elementary School, recently became the second family and student counselor for the district. She will assist Tanner Steelman, a counselor the district hired in August.

Steelman is now working with 150 students, Sherrill said. The district wants to have an elementary counselor and a middle and high school counselor, he said.

“We have 150 kids in our district that have some kind of issues going on and need some services,” Sherrill said, adding the ability to offer direct counseling is dramatically improving students’ academic progress, attendance and mental health.