Studies show the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns had a significant impact on young people. The Worcester Family Resource Center hopes to attract more youths to its after-school programs to reverse the effects through “evidence-based parent education groups, information and referral, case management, and other opportunities for children and families in need.”
A study conducted by the National Institutes of Health showed “lockdowns significantly impacted children’s behavior. Reduced physical activity and increased sedentary behaviors.”
In the post-COVID world, kids are spending less time moving physically and are spending more time sitting around. They are no longer taking advantage of places where they could socialize; instead, they spend time on their phones, said FRC program director Mahley Alejandro.
The center’s efforts include two different tracks, she said.
“One track is our basic needs, for example, housing, food security and clothing security.”
The second involves court diversion. This is “the team that specifically deals with individual education programs, court involvement, and Department of Children and Families involvement,” Alejandro said. That can include runaways, youth with behavioral challenges and commercially sexually exploited children, she said.
The FRC partners with the Health Law Advocates, an organization that “provides pro bono legal representation to residents in low-income situations experiencing difficulty accessing medical services.”
Lisa Morrow is the HLA’s managing attorney for the FRC, based in Lynn. She is a part of the organization’s Mental Health Advocacy Program, whose mission is to “improve the health and educational success of children with unmet mental health needs,” she said.
The HLA has 15 staff attorneys placed at different FRCs in the state, Morrow said. These attorneys work with the staff at the center to help families with the second track.
The FRC in Worcester is one of the centers that has a legal advocate. “It is helpful to have an attorney who can tap into the legal needs at the center itself,” Alejandro said.
The center saw 107 new families enter the building in the first three months of 2026, Alejandro said. Yet, she finds that teens are not accessing the free after-school supports that they could be taking advantage of.
“What are they doing? That’s the question,” Alejandro said. She thinks the main culprit is a lack of knowledge of the programs.
“We live in a digital world and we’re trying to get our flyers and our information out to the youth, but it’s not reaching them,” she said.
Alejandro said she has seen more introverted children since the pandemic.
“I can think about my kid, you know. I have a 15-year-old,” she said. “When he gets out of school, he gets on FaceTime with his buddies. When I ask why they are not in person, he says we just want to be on FaceTime.”
One program that she hopes to see fill up is the Arts and Music Program, a place where teens can come and play music with friends. This program currently does not have any participants.
“It’s really hard for youth to come to you,” Alejandro said. “Rather than expecting them to come to us, maybe we need to go to them.” She said the center plans to collaborate with other school-based programs to meet teens where they are.
