University of North Texas 
Parent Communication Platform
When parents are involved and engaged in their student's education the chances for student success increase greatly. To help parents be engaged and to stay informed on what their students are doing academically in TRIO Upward Bound we will be using Bloomz, a parent-teacher communication platform. Bloomz allows us to send out real-time announcements, updates, calendar events, student behavior progress, and even allows parents to see their student's UB portfolio. Parents will also have direct access to all staff members at any time through the use of Bloomz's chat feature. We encourage all of our parents to join us on Bloomz.
Parents who need help setting up a Bloomz account or accessing the TRIO UB group please send us an email at untupwardbound@unt.edu.
Bloomz Tutorial (English)
(If the video does not play click here.)
COVID-19 Rental Assistance
UPDATE (2/26/21): The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) has received approximately $1.3 billion in Emergency Rental Assistance funds from the newly passed Coronavirus Relief Bill. This is a new governmental program that just opened up on Feb. 15th! This program can help renters with the following costs starting as far back as March 13, 2020:
- Past due, current and up to 3 months of expected rent costs
- Past due, current and up to 3 months of expected utility and home energy expenses
- After the initial 3 months of forward assistance, you can apply for 3 additional months of assistance if funds are still available
They will review any applications that are submitted from now until March 1st to get assistance first. After they go through those applications they will go through the second round of applications so it is highly recommended to apply before March 1st.
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| Our Daily Bread | Interfaith Ministries | Grace Like Rain | Giving Hope, Inc. | Christian Community Action |
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General Rent/Utility Assistance Call: (940) 566-1308 Text: (940) 333-0970 |
General Rent/Utility Assistance Call: (940) 565-5479 ext 3 |
Rent/Utility Assistance |
Rent/Utility Assistance
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Rent/Utility Assistance Call: (940) 219-4305 |
Childcare Assistance
Financial aid for child care is available to families throughout Texas, although eligibility guidelines may differ depending on where you reside. Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas serves the following counties: Collin, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, and Wise. If you do not live in one of the counties listed above, go to http://www.twc.state.tx.us/dirs/wdas/wdamap.html to find the child care services office for your area or call 2-1-1.
Families may be eligible for assistance with child care expenses if you work, or attend an education or vocation training program for a minimum average of 25 hours per week for a single-parent home and 50 hours per week for a two-parent home.
Childcare Update for Essential Employees
With the closure of schools and child care programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many frontline Essential Worker parents and guardians are in need of child care. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides funding that can be used to subsidize child care for COVID-19 essential personnel who need to continue working during this emergency. Please visit our Coronavirus Information and Updates page for more information and instructions on how to apply.
Visit Workforce Solutions Website
In the News
| Texas State Free Tuition Program | Colleges Dropping SAT/ACT Requirements | Students Can Retake Sections of SAT |
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Monday, April 27, 2020 Even as families continue to cope with the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas State University announced it will expand its free tuition program to potentially thousands of incoming freshmen. Starting in the fall, students whose family adjusted gross income is $50,000 or less, will qualify for the Bobcat Promise, which pays tuition and mandatory fees. The AGI was previously set at $35,000. Read More >>> |
Friday, April 10, 2020 A record number of colleges and universities have in recent weeks dropped the requirement that students applying to enter as freshmen in fall 2021 submit an SAT or ACT test, and some are using it as a pilot to determine whether to eliminate the requirement altogether — actions that could presage a broad shift away from admissions testing in higher education. Read More >>> |
Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019 September [2020], students dissatisfied with their ACT scores will be able for the first time to retake a selected portion of the college admission test without having to repeat the entire exam. The policy change, announced Tuesday, is a major development for a high-stakes testing ritual that has stirred angst among generations of college-bound students. Read More >>> |
A special thank you to Rose Brown for sending us the handful of resources we have posted on this page.