Our mission is to strengthen community by eliminating the race-based opportunity and achievement gaps for students through education.  

We acknowledge you are your child’s first teacher and your family possesses many strengths and assets that make your child a unique and special person. We know that families in the OpenDoors community face systemic barriers to success and our job is to eliminate those barriers. The OpenDoors team is focused on supporting your hopes and dreams for your child and their academic progress, however we can.

OpenDoors prioritizes Kindergarten through 11th grade students who are living in Buncombe County and who are most affected by the race-based opportunity and achievement gaps. We also prioritize students with learning differences (diagnosed or suspected) and students of families who are living in subsidized housing, are homeless, or designated McKinney-Vento.

To strengthen our work together and improve outcomes for your child, it is helpful for OpenDoors to learn more about the following areas of your personal experience.

  • Race

  • Health

  • Economic security

  • Housing security

Students and families are not obligated to answer the questions below. However, we use this confidential information to:

  • Determine eligibility for programs

  • Understand individual student, family, and community needs

  • Request grant funding through accurate metrics  

We promise to keep your personal and family information confidential and never share it with third parties.

Thank you for being an essential part of addressing systemic barriers to your child’s progress and potential. As your trusted partners, we hope you will lead and share your ideas and questions every step of the way. OpenDoors is stronger with your family by our side!

Please provide as much information as possible in your referral. OpenDoors Asheville staff will use the following questions to determine eligibility for the referred student:

  • Does the family qualify for public assistance programs? This includes but is not limited to, free and reduced lunch, medicaid or CHIP, SSI, etc.

  • Has the student lived in public housing, fragile or substandard housing, been ‘doubled-up’, or classified as homeless in the last three years?

  • Is the student not performing to their academic potential?

  • Is the student performing one or more years below grade level in core subjects? This includes but is not limited to English reading/writing, math, science, or social studies.

  • Can the student be easily accessed by OpenDoors’ existing network of support at school and/or at home?

  • Are the student and caregiver willing to give permission and participate in activities that may be outside of their peer or cultural norms?

Referral Process

OpenDoors of Asheville is not a temporary relief organization. If the referred person or family is in crisis (housing, mental health, transportation, nutritional needs, health care concerns, etc.) please dial 211 to find organizations which can provide immediate assistance. 

A referral to OpenDoors of Asheville is not a guarantee of services. We require meetings with parents and students and review background information before making a final decision as to the best course of action for educational support and intervention. This process may take several months, depending on the cooperation of outside agencies and response to information requests. 

We aim to provide the highest quality services to our families and acknowledge that sometimes what is best for a family may be outside of our scope. We will always attempt to refer to another appropriate agency and provide a recommendation for services. 

If you have any further questions about our referral process, please call or send us a message here.