Kids deserve a chance to learn in school, no matter what hardships they may face at home.

Panther Valley Elementary has a new position designed to help families get the support they need, so students can be ready to learn.

With assistance from the Ametek foundation and St. Luke’s, the school has added a family development specialist.

Nicole Pollinger is a social worker who will be familiar to many returning students from her stint as a Carbon Corps mentor last year.

“Without having anyone to reach out to, these kids suffer. If you’re hungry, you’re tired and you’re worried, you can’t concentrate at all,” Pollinger said.

A family development specialist’s job is to find ways to support families so their children are successful in school. That could mean connecting them with food assistance, housing assistance, or health care assistance.

Pollinger reaches out to families of new students in the district, whether they’re kindergartners or students moving into the district. She provides her contact information and encourages them to contact her anytime with any issue they may be facing.

Issues range from a student not having access to food or a bed to sleep in.

Pollinger even volunteers to act as a go-between for families who speak Spanish as a first language.

“We kind of bond, and they can ask anything they need to ask me,” she said.

Having a social worker on staff has been something that the school has looked at for several years. While it has guidance counselors, their job is focused on addressing a student’s needs while they’re in the building. The family development specialist goes a step further, looking for opportunities outside of school to prepare students to be more successful.

“It could be anything, all the things that we know make it harder for students to learn when their families are facing those challenges,” said Principal Robert Palazzo.

The position is sponsored by the Ametek Foundation, which has assisted the school in the past by sponsoring education programs. St. Luke’s has provided training and resources.

Pollinger jumped at the opportunity to apply after spending the last year in the school as part of the United Way of Greater Lehigh Valley’s Carbon Corps program. Pollinger helped organize food and gift giveaways for families around the holiday. Along with Palazzo she helped obtain the district’s new “book buggy” - a van which travels to events around Panther Valley with books for children and their families. After concluding her internship, Pollinger completed her degree in social work and was ready.

With her new position, she is guaranteed to be in the school for another year, helping Panther Valley students and their families get the resources they need to learn.

“We’re very fortunate that Nicole wanted to stick around at Panther Valley,” Palazzo said.