Erin Murphy, councilor at large, and Tania Fernandes-Anderson, District 7 city councilor, present meeting docket at Boston's City Council.
The Boston City Council held a hearing on Sept. 22 to discuss the development of an app that would help parents structure their children’s after-school time, such as weekends, summer, or recreational activities.
"One single place listing Boston's resources would facilitate access for struggling families," said Dr. Brandy Brooks, Higher Ground Deputy Director.
Officials are discussing ways to fund the application. However, advocates agree the City should offer it as a free resource for its citizens, such as BPS' SchoolMessenger, which facilitates teacher-parent messaging and informs of school and district level notifications.
"Several apps are already in existence that are in the vein of helping support parent engagement. The question at the end of the hearing was whether to expand or refine those apps or develop a new one," said Brooks.
According to the hearing docket, parents and providers desire more vital collaboration and access between their homes, schools, health care facilities, and community services.
The digital platform helps parents structure children's free time, manage health needs and assist with academic assignments. In addition, this tool would enable parents to incentivize children to work towards their goals.
"Children need positive behavioral patterns to develop good health and general nutritional patterns. These habits are established early on in the child's life and outside school time," said Erin Murphy, councilor at-large.
Proponents argue parental engagement is a modifiable factor with a long-lasting impact on children. This app seeks to bridge the wealth gap and additional barriers preventing more parental involvement.
Time poverty affects families of lower socioeconomic status. However, this scenario may translate across families regardless of their income.
District 7 City Councilor Tania Fernandes-Anderson said, "Whenever a society prioritizes their most vulnerable population, the rest of that society does well. So parents, regardless of their socioeconomic standing, should advocate for an app that helps anyone because the need is there whether it applies to them personally or not," she said.
Research by PubMed Central proves abused or neglected children are at increased risk of problematic prosocial and ethical behavior developmental outcomes.
"Children's activities dictate the extent of human capital they can garner as they grow and transform into adults. Since they rely on grown-ups for guidance, it is up to caregivers to raise future leaders instead of followers for the sake of the future," said psychologist Conchita Pablo.