HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ProUnitas is pleased to announce the expansion of PurpleSENSE, a web-based platform that integrates school-based systems with resources designed to help students thrive. The Houston-based non-profit has partnered with Thoughtworks, a global technology consultancy, to provide schools with the mobile capabilities needed to ensure students are more rapidly matched and provided with the village of resources recommended by school support teams. The expansion to mobile is made possible through significant private investment, including a one-time transformational gift of $440,000 from the Kinder Foundation.
This expansion, driven by feedback from campus staff, will allow student support teams to take the power of PurpleSENSE with them on the go for easier, real-time response using the new PurpleSENSE mobile app. The faster a child’s need is identified and support is arranged, the greater the odds the child will reach their fullest potential.
“Student support teams such as counselors, school social workers and nurses play an integral role in the education of the child and are most often forgotten when it comes to innovative tools and effective practices to care for each student holistically,” said Adeeb Barqawi, President & CEO of ProUnitas. “Every day many of our students carry the burden of poverty on their shoulders to school, and despite the availability of services, schools do not have the technology infrastructure necessary to connect students to resources in a coordinated way. We want to change this reality.”
Through PurpleSENSE, 60 percent of administrative work in providing social service options is eliminated. In addition, the response time for a student to be identified and receive services is reduced by 90 percent. Such services include food assistance programs, mental health counseling, after school clubs, and more. The expansion of PurpleSENSE to mobile is a critical step for ProUnitas to effectively support more schools and students.
ProUnitas had a demand to move fast and launch a mobile app that drives immediate impact and value to student support teams. Thoughtworks was selected for its advanced agile capabilities to accelerate the design and delivery in an intuitive way, involving educators and counselors to ensure a holistic understanding of dynamic student needs. The mobile staff will be free to meet the student where they are, while being assured that FERPA and HIPAA compliance, privacy, and security measures are satisfied.
“We are proud to partner with ProUnitas and the Kinder Foundation to help bring to life the vision of ensuring every student has access to the right resources at the right time,” said Chris Murphy, chief executive officer, Thoughtworks North America. “A mobile version of PurpleSENSE will empower student support teams to work more rapidly, efficiently and effectively towards their mission and goals.”
“The Kinder Foundation believes that children cannot succeed if they are juggling significant personal challenges. As a result of the pandemic, we are seeing mental health and the impact of stress with fresh eyes. Now is the time to support our children and help them thrive and learn. We are proud to help elevate the work of ProUnitas to reach more schools and more students in this critical time of need,” said Nancy Kinder, President and CEO of the Kinder Foundation.
ProUnitas launched PurpleSENSE in 2017 to 50 Houston-area schools. For the first time, districts were able to track various services requests and start to laser focus their resources to meet such needs. Since then, ProUnitas has expanded PurpleSENSE to 440 schools facilitating over 2 million connections to services and resources. The expansion will help make ProUnitas’ offerings accessible to any size school and contribute to the goal of serving one million students over the next 10 years.
About ProUnitas
ProUnitas is 501c3 corporation that envisions a world where no student falls between the cracks and every student has access to the right resources at the right time to reach their fullest potential. ProUnitas works to accomplish its mission by providing the technology and training for student support teams to more rapidly identify and surround students with village of resources unique to them.
About Thoughtworks
Thoughtworks is a global technology consultancy that integrates strategy, design and engineering to drive digital innovation. We are 9,000+ people strong across 48 offices in 17 countries. Over the last 25+ years, we’ve delivered extraordinary impact together with our clients by helping them solve complex business problems with technology as the differentiator.
About the Kinder Foundation
The Kinder Foundation, a family foundation established in 1997 by Rich and Nancy Kinder of Houston, Texas, provides transformational grants that impact urban green space, education, and quality of life. More at www.kinderfoundation.org.