Family Resources

Food Pantries

Albany County Resource Guide

Rensselaer County Resource Guide

Saratoga County Resource Guide

Schenectady County Resource Guide

Financial and Utility Resources

Albany County

 

Rensselaer County

  • Concerns-U/R.E.A.C.H. - Committed to helping people in Southern and Rural Rensselaer County meet the challenges of day-to-day living. Services include crisis intervention, information and referral, advocacy, food pantry, clothing, back-to-school, emergency assistance, a Christmas store, clothe-a-child, and holiday projects. Casework and counseling services are provided to individuals and families.
  • Roarke Center - 518-273-8351 - Services provided include emergency assistance; food pantry, The Roarke Connection Reentry program for women and men with legal issues or leaving incarceration; creative arts, creative writing, digital photography, sewing, and weaving.
  • Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) - The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) helps low-income people pay the cost of heating their homes.

 

Saratoga County

 

Schenectady County

 

Help with Phone Service

Housing & Rent Assistance

Albany County

 

Rensselaer County

  • Catholic Charities of the Diocese Albany 
  • Housing Solutions of Rensselaer - 518-272-6012 - Residents facing evictions or the homeless can apply for financial aid or referrals. They also help families and senior citizens find and maintain permanent housing.

 

Saratoga County

 

Schenectady County

  • Schenectady Community Action Program (SCAP) - 518-374-9181  Tenants and low-income families in need can apply for rent, energy bill assistance, section 8, and other forms of financial aid, including lower interest rate loans.

Child Care

Brightside Up Child Care Referral Agency - 518-426-7181 - OCFS is collecting information from licensed and registered child care providers to find out whether they have openings in their child care program, and if they have the capacity and desire to serve more children than their established capacity. Parents can fill out a survey and based on the information provided about their job, employer, number of children, and financial need, OCFS may be able to help them find the child program they need.

Unity House in Troy, NY - Open Monday – Friday from 7:30 am-5:30 pm.  For families where parents and guardians are considered essential. 6 Weeks to 5 Years of Age

Capital District YMCA - Open Monday – Friday from 7:00 am – 6:00 pm. For families where parents and guardians are considered essential.

Childcare Locations

  • Guilderland YMCA — 250 Winding Brook Drive, Guilderland, NY 12084
  • Southern Saratoga YMCA— 1 Wall Street, Clifton Park, NY 12065
  • Hoosick Falls Elementary – 21187 NY-22, Hoosick Falls, NY 12090
  • United Presbyterian Church – 25 Church Street, Amsterdam, NY 12010

Healthcare

Educational Tools

  • Explore eLearning - Free for 60 days and parents can request an extension for the entire duration of the school closing.
    • Math Lessons from Grade 2-12
    • Science Lessons from Kindergarten-12th
  • epic! - Free for parents for 30 days. Kids will have access to 40,000 digital books.
  • Wonderopolis - Wonderopolis was created by the National Center for Families Learning. It is an informational site that asks and answers interesting questions. Every day, a new "Wonders of the Day" question is posted, and each is designed to get kids and families to think, talk, and find learning moments together in everyday life.
  • DreamBox Learning - Kindergarten-8th Grade online math program. Parents can get a free 90-day trial if they sign up by April 30th.
  • Cosmic Kids Yoga - Can be used for PE. Appropriate for younger kids.
  • Code.org - Provides free K-12 computer science lessons and games to help students learn how to code at an earlier age.
  • Exploratorium - Teaches students about science, art, and human perception. It helps students go far into the galaxy or deep down to the bottom of the ocean.
  • New York Times - The Times is working with Verizon to provide high schools with three free months of digital access from April 6 to July 6 — helping students stay connected to the world, even as they learn remotely.
  • Amazon Future Engineer Program - Amazon is offering free online computer science classes through August 31st, 2020 for any student or teacher affected by school closures due to COVID-19 in the U.S.

Internet Access

  • Free Internet for 60 days through Spectrum - Free access to internet and WiFi for 60-days for new Pre-K to 12, college student, and teacher households who don't currently have internet or WiFi service and at any service level up to 100 Mbps. Families can qualify for this offer if they:
    • Have a student of qualifying age at your service address with remote education needs
    • Have not subscribed to our internet services within the past 30 days
  • Comcast - Low-income families who live in a Comcast service area and are new customers can receive 60 days of complimentary Internet Essentials service.
    • All new customers will be sent a free self-install kit that includes a cable modem with a Wi-Fi router. There will be no term contract or credit check and no shipping fee.
    • To sign up, applicants can simply visit www.internetessentials.com. The accessible website also includes the option to video chat with customer service agents in American Sign Language. There are also two dedicated phone numbers 1-855-846-8376 for English and 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish.
  • Xfinity WiFi Free For Everyone: Xfinity WiFi hotspots located in businesses and outdoor locations across the country will be available to anyone who needs them for free – including non-Xfinity Internet subscribers. For a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots, visit www.xfinity.com/wifi. Once at a hotspot, consumers should select the “xfinitywifi” network name in the list of available hotspots and then launch a browser.

Albany County

  • Berne-Knox-Westerlo Central School District has set up five hotspot points across the area to assist with internet access:
    • Westerlo Town Park
    • Green Acres
    • Berne Senior Center
    • Knox Town Highway Garage
    • Old East Berne Fire Department (across from Dollar General)
    • How the hotspot locations work:
      • Schools district vehicles will park at each location with a hotspot device
      • Password for the device will be posted on the window of the vehicle
      • Hotspots are available daily from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

Schenectady County

  • Free public Wi-Fi provided by the City on Union Street between Broadway and Lafayette Street, as well as in front of City Hall on Jay Street.

Laptops

  • Computers with Causes - Applicants need to complete the form and explain why you are a candidate for a gifted computer. Also be advised that if you are currently receiving assistance from one or more of these sources (TANF, SSI, SSDI, Welfare, Food Stamps, etc..) acceptance of tangible property, gifts, financial assistance, or services (Additional income) may affect or terminate your current benefits. After the application is submitted, the Board of Directors will review the information provided, then review their inventory, and if they are able to assist you then you will be contacted within 30 days. All applications are valid for 30 days, so if you do not hear from them within that time frame then you can apply again. They complete a strict need assessment, background, and reference check.
  • The On It Foundation - A Parent/Guardian for the student must write to The On It Foundation requesting a free computer.
  • With Causes - Parents can fill out the form with their request. The application is valid for 30 days.

 

Mental Health

  • Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to speak to a caring counselor.
  • Albany County Department of Mental Health COVID-19 Support Line: (518) 269-6634. Available from 8:00am-8:00pm, 7 days/week.
  • Office of Mental Health Emotional Support Hotline: 1- 844-863-9314 Available  24/7

Other

  • Andy “The Music Man” is a local children’s musician. He gives live performances on Facebook every Monday-Friday at 11am.
  • Google Arts and Culture - Google has teamed up with over 500 museums and galleries around the world to bring everyone virtual tours and online exhibits. So while your students are at home, they can still take a virtual field trip to some of the most famous museums across the world.
  • Audible by Amazon has hundreds of titles available completely free for as long as schools are closed. The collection has been handpicked by editors and is a mix of stories to entertain, engage, and inform young people, ages 0–18.
  • Capital District YMCA - Virtual Read and Write alongs for children. There are multiple live sessions at 12 pm, 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm, including on weekends. There are also archived sessions available.