This Mom Knows What Good Communication Looks Like, and Brings that Knowledge As a Family Services Specialist

Claudia Guzman at Clayton Early Learning Center received ReachWell communication for years as a mom. Now in her role as Program Specialist in Family Services, she knows exactly what features she wants to bring families in her school community.

From Parent to Program Specialist in Family Services

This summer, Claudia Guzman started her role as Program Specialist in Family Services at Clayton Early Learning Center, an early childhood education program that prepares children for Kindergarten. She previously worked in real estate. However, family communication is not new for her. She brings her experience as a mother of two when coming up with creative ideas on engaging the Clayton community.

"My two kids in 2nd and 7th grade go to Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy," Claudia said. "I loved the newsletters they sent through ReachWell, so I thought, I should do that too!'"

Claudia noticed how easy it was to keep up with all the events and activities at her child's school because of the regular newsletters and calendar updates.

Results

After working with staff to increase app adoption, her hard work is paying off. "I now get a lot of compliments from families who tell me that they always know about school events," Claudia said. "For example, we have one tomorrow for culture night, and they like getting the reminders through the app."

A recent family survey also reflects the positive feedback Claudia has heard in one-to-one conversations. Families said they love the app and get the right amount of communication from Claudia.

One parent shared in the survey "I also have the ReachWell app in the schools of my other children, and since I usually do not check my email every day, with the app I can easily and quickly find out the news and events of the school." (Original quote: "Lo tengo también en las escuelas de mis otros hijos por lo regular no reviso mi email todos los días entonces con el flayer me llega como mensaje de texto y puedo enterarme a tiempo de las noticias de la escuela u también de eventos que tiene la escuela.")

Another parent said that "the app is super easy, and you get a lot of important information about the school" (Original quote: "L aplicación es súper fácil, y obtienes mucha información importante de la escuela")

Looking Ahead

From all the positive feedback, Claudia is looking ahead on how to make family engagement even stronger.

"Families told me in the survey that they want to hear more about what's going on in the classroom," Claudia said. "I love that idea, and I think it would be cool to start posting A Day in the Life, with pictures of different classrooms, and what they're up to that day."

Clayton also holds a weekly market, where families get their own tote bag to go shopping for fruits, vegetables, hygiene products, and household products. Claudia will also start to send reminders to families through the ReachWell app.

She won't stop getting inspiration from her children's school either. She noticed that Kunsmiller provides a form for families to submit an absence notice. Claudia says she wants to start taking advantage of more ReachWell app features like that.

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When Residents Don’t Trust You: How to Still Keep Them Safe and Informed

By Zuben Bastani • June 17, 2025

Government distrust is at an all-time high. Many residents are wary of sharing their personal information with public agencies, often due to fears of surveillance, spam, or data misuse. This hesitation is especially acute among low-income and unhoused individuals who frequently change phone numbers due to service lapses, making traditional outreach efforts ineffective. Most public communication systems fall short. They rely on platforms like Mailchimp or Constant Contact, which get lost in crowded inboxes. Social media, while pervasive, is designed to harvest data and push ads—not to protect user privacy. Even emergency alert systems often require residents to sign up and share their location, further eroding trust. Text messaging, often called the holy grail of communication, is no longer a guaranteed solution. People guard their phone numbers carefully, especially when interacting with the government. They fear being spammed or having their data sold. So how can agencies inform and protect the public without breaching their trust? A New Approach to Community Communication Using ReachWell's extensive experience and broad customer base, here are some recommendations to consider when engaging your community in a less intrusive yet more effective manner: Offer Communication Choices : Let residents decide how they want to receive information—whether it's through text, email, voice calls, app notifications, or a combination. This respects personal preferences and helps reduce message fatigue. Respect Anonymity : Not everyone wants to share personal contact details. Provide anonymous access to messages via public channels or apps that don’t require identifying information. Support Multilingual Access : Language should never be a barrier to safety or services. Translate messages into the primary languages spoken in your community, and consider text-to-speech options for low-literacy audiences. Allow Topic Subscription : Let people select specific topics or groups they care about. Targeted messages reduce noise and increase engagement. Minimize Data Collection : Collect only the data you truly need. Avoid tracking location or behavior unless absolutely necessary—and be transparent about what is collected and why. Ensure Accessibility : Meet or exceed accessibility standards (such as WCAG 2.2 AA compliance) so all residents, including those with disabilities, can access and understand public messages. These practices foster trust, improve message delivery, and help ensure no one is left out of important conversations—especially in moments of crisis or community need. Expanded Real-World Examples: Trusted by Diverse Communities El Paso County, CO (Colorado Springs area) uses ReachWell to distribute emergency alerts—including shelter-in-place orders and missing persons reports—in over 130 languages. Residents can receive alerts even without providing contact information. The Town of Carbondale, CO keeps its multilingual and low-literate residents informed of community events, social services, and public works projects using WCAG 2.2 AA-compliant messaging and text-to-speech capabilities—ensuring no one is left behind. Tucson, AZ : Child-Parent Centers, a Head Start provider, uses ReachWell to keep 500+ staff updated on safety alerts, training sessions, and HR notices across 130 languages—building internal trust through inclusive communication. Boulder County Housing Authority ensures ongoing connection with residents—even after their contact information changes—by sending updates about emergencies, upcoming maintenance, and resident services using ReachWell’s multilingual and anonymous outreach tools. Conclusion Building trust with residents starts with giving them control. When governments let people choose how they connect, what they receive, and in what language—trust grows. ReachWell is proving that communities can be kept safe and informed without sacrificing privacy or accessibility. When people don’t trust the system, it’s time to change the system. ReachWell is doing just that. BOOK A DEMO TODAY