Family Access & Engagement Coordinator (FAEC)

Holyoke Public Schools•Holyoke, MA

11d

About The Position

The Family Access & Engagement Coordinator will build school and district capacity to expand and deepen relationships with families, develop key community partnerships to enhance family-school relationships, as well as support parent, involvement, voice and leadership development. A key goal of this position will be to support parents in strengthening their efforts at home to support their child’s learning and to support school staff in strengthening parent involvement and communications. The HPS turnaround plan requires the implementation of a cohesive district-wide strategy to rebuild trust and strengthen the relationship with HPS families, including increasing opportunities for parent voice and leadership. The Family Access & Engagement Coordinators will report to the Director of the Family, Student and Community Engagement Department. They will work in collaboration with school-based leaders (e.g. principals, teachers, culture and climate teams, etc.) and with other FAE team members (e.g. School Family Promoters, Attendance Officer). Each Family Access & Engagement Coordinator is expected to work with multiple locations – most likely two separate schools – in a flexible schedule, which will require adaptability, resourcefulness and excellent organizational, communication, and teamwork skills. As this position is a highly visible position serving the school community and interfacing with families and outside agencies, knowledge of general school office or professional office environment is required. This position requires an appreciation, consistent practice, and understanding of customer service, time management, positive inter-personal relationships, and multi-tasking in a service-oriented environment.

Requirements

Belief and commitment in HPS values
Solid commitment to support HPS families’ lifelong learning, and strengthen their trust in and connection to the schools
Working knowledge of community conditions in Holyoke and the region and of the needs of the diverse families residing in Holyoke
Ability to mobilize community resources to support families
Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate well, persuade others, and work well with others as part of different teams (school staff, parents, community leaders)
Ability and willingness to learn a wide variety of tasks required in the promotion of school-family relationships and school office operations
Highly developed organizational and work planning skills
Ability to multi-task and flexibility to meet the varying needs of parents, school staff, students, community partners, and office visitors
Extraordinary attention to detail and follow through to meet deadlines and commitments
Commitment to accuracy, timeliness and attention to detail regarding reporting of attendance, punctuality and family engagement activities and services
Excellent computer skills and working knowledge of electronic communication, word processing and spreadsheets, and ability to navigate student database software, as well as, general office equipment operation such as phones, fax, copier, etc.
Ability and commitment to maintain confidentiality for students, parents and staff interactions
Ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness and creativity required in situations involving evaluation of information against measurable or verifiable criteria
Commitment to high performance standards and unwavering belief that all students can excel
Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred, or 2 years of college-level coursework with 3 years of highly relevant experience or equivalent training in a school, early education or community agency setting which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform essential job functions.
Demonstrated working knowledge of community dynamics, resources, services, leaders and partners
Knowledge of community conditions in Holyoke and of the needs of the diverse families residing in Holyoke
Direct experience working with families, family programming and community outreach
Demonstrated dedication to family-school partnerships
Cultural competence in Puerto Rican/Latino communities
Warm and engaging personality, plus solid interpersonal skills and abilities to develop leadership skills in others
Excellent proactive oral and written communication skills
Abilities to work independently and be a self-initiator
Demonstrated ability to be flexible and to work and deliver results as part of multiple teams
Knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets, student database and other office software preferred.
Bilingual abilities (English/Spanish) preferred

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets, student database and other office software preferred.
Bilingual abilities (English/Spanish) preferred

Responsibilities

Identify and implement capacity-building strategies to support teachers, school leaders, and other school staff to expand or strengthen family engagement efforts and mechanisms to enhance parent voice, leadership and feedback
Support teachers and other school staff to understand family and community context and resource
Design, support, lead or coordinate periodic school-based and district-wide family activities (educational, fun nights, cultural celebrations, community outreach, etc.), in collaboration with school and district leaders and staff. Integrate HELI “On Track for Literacy” indicators in family activities whenever possible.
Support school communications with families (including translation and interpretation of parent communications, excluding IEPs) as well as family involvement in school activities
Conduct home visits, as required to support specific cases, and coordinate and support home visits by teachers and school leaders
Implement focused efforts to establish strong connections between schools and Pre-K and Kindergarten families
Manage and support parent volunteers to address school needs and initiatives and develop their leadership skills
Lead educational workshops and coaching for parents and volunteers on different subjects, particularly around early literacy, educational policy and regulations, special education, ELL, parent leadership, etc.
Assist designated groups of families in need of special support, through light case management, referrals and liaison work with community agencies, particularly for Pre-K and Kindergarten families
Work collaboratively with school PTOs
Assist in the implementation of the attendance policy and communicating with families regarding attendance and punctuality issues
Implement and strengthen a robust system for regular communications with families, particularly related to navigating the school system, district policies and procedures, events, and opportunities for parent involvement
Maintain updated HPS resource and information sites as part of the district-wide family resource information system
Participation as needed in Student Support Team, and Climate and Culture Team, or other instances that require family engagement or involvement at each school
Develop and manage key community partnerships that support family engagement
Support district-wide collaborations and initiatives to increase family engagement in early literacy (HELI), Pre-K expansion, among others
Collect, document and input all data and necessary information requested by school and district administration in an accurate and timely manner
Attend training and workshops deemed necessary to perform duties
Maintain confidentiality of student data and information
Demonstrate positive interpersonal relationships with students, staff, parents, and community members
Demonstrate punctuality, good attendance and work ethic for all duties assigned
Attend staff, school and district meetings as required
File, maintain and set up all in-school family engagement files
Organize the workspace area for efficiency, safety and appearance
Collect, document and analyze data related to family engagement
Other duties as assigned by the FSCE Director