Family and Community Coordinator - Michigan Connections Academy

Connections Academy•Okemos, MI

2d•Remote

About The Position

Michigan Connections Academy (MICA) is a tuition-free, online public school serving students in grades K–12 throughout Michigan. The Family & Community Outreach Coordinator will be responsible for developing school-based family engagement systems and activities that create strong supports for teaching, learning and student achievement. This role supports families, teachers, and the community in their efforts to assist students in achieving academic excellence, and also supports the school’s marketing and customer service efforts. The coordinator will provide support for “Club Orange”, the Connections Education caretaker program, and the MICA administration and board in outreach and support to families. This position, in conjunction with the principal, will focus on building the critical partnership between families and schools. The goals are to improve parents’ levels of trust and support, enhance families’ capacity to support their children’s learning and serve as leaders, and to create a school environment that is consistently welcoming to families.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or commensurate experience.
Approximately 30% travel required
Experience working with diverse communities.
Excellent interpersonal skills.
Excellent organizational skills.
Demonstrated ability to manage time well.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Experience in developing and/or leading workshops and trainings.
Ability to work flexible hours including evenings and weekends.
Michigan Residency

Nice To Haves

Bilingual capacity.
Conflict resolution, mediation and/or negotiation skills.
Experience in virtual school setting.
Experience with school or community services coordination.

Responsibilities

Coordinate new parent contacts, orientations and trainings.
Assist with student truancy and engagement issues.
Organize, strengthen and support of “Club Orange” in helping parents coordinate parent lead school, marketing and support activities.
Lead the development, in conjunction with the MICA leadership team, and Implementation of the school's overall family engagement action plan.
Assist the school marketing lead and Connections Education marketing department to develop and implement the yearly marketing plan.
Work with the MICA Manager of Counseling Services to provide families with information on school, Connections Education and community support services.
Work with the advisors to assist families in accessing appropriate resources that will support their child's learning.
Collect information on and coordinate the participation in contests and competitive activities such as spelling bees, academic bowls, etc. including the development of sustainable competitive programs.
Establish and maintain consistent, effective and timely communication with families, especially new families, in a variety of ways.
Working with the principal and school staff, establish an environment in which families feel safe, welcomed and free to voice their opinions.
Act as an advocate/liaison to assist parents and school staff to resolve issues at the school level.
Serve as mediator when necessary, using respectful strategies to bring conflicts to resolution.
Build and strengthen relationships with local community partners.
Develop and maintain a current database of families at the school to support family engagement activities.
Take part in ongoing training and professional development provided by MICA and Connections Education.
Keep records of various activities to be used as part of the evaluation of the pilot project.
Other duties specifically related to the engagement of families and the community as designated by the principal.