TITLE: Family and School Engagement Liaison
TYPE: Non-Union, Cycle II
SALARY: Per Terms of Employment for Non-Union Personnel, Cycle II
WORK SCHEDULE: Monday - Friday, seven (7) hours per day, School Year (180 days), may work up to twenty (20) additional days at Principal's/Facilitator's discretion
REPORTS TO: Family and Community Engagement Facilitator and Building Principal(s)
OBJECTIVE: The main objective of the Family Liaison in Chicopee Public Schools is to increase parent and family involvement. His or her role is to establish effective communication between home and school and improve community outreach and training opportunities for families that will impact student academic performance.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
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Welcome new families to the schools and be available to them as a resource.
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Contact parents and families through phone calls, home visits, and meetings at school or district sites to encourage participation in school and/or district activities and events.
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Collaborates with all Family Liaisons to develop district activities and workshops to improve family engagement.
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Establish a family resource center in the school and/or a page on the school's website working with the Family and Community Engagement Facilitator and the Building Principal(s).
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Be available to explain services/programs/resources that are in the schools, the District, and the community that can benefit parents, guardians, caregivers, and their children.
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Attend meetings (both informational and training) with the Family and Community Engagement Facilitator and the Building Principal(s) and work with them to ensure federal compliance with the Family Involvement Policy under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
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Be present and assist in the Open Houses and other school and community events as assigned by the Family and Community Engagement Facilitator and/or the Building Principal(s).
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Assist the Family and Community Engagement Facilitator with conducting workshops and presentations for families and school staff on the importance of family engagement and being engaged in school.
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Work with the Family and Community Engagement Facilitator to implement and strengthen family-school communication, particularly related to navigating the school system, district policies and procedures, events, and opportunities for family involvement.
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Build and foster trust between families and the schools.
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Assist administration in building capacity to establish and maintain consistent, effective, and timely communication with families in a variety of ways in language and terms that they can understand to have active and meaningful participation in their children's education.
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Work with the Building Principal(s) and staff to establish a school climate in which families and students feel safe, welcomed, respected, and free to voice their opinions and concerns.
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Develop a positive working relationship with the other school support service personnel to assist with identifying problems, sharing information, and designing student and family programs.
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Utilize technology to inform, engage, educate, and empower families to be a part of the school culture and participate in school activities and events.
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Assist and support the Before-School, After-School, and Summer School Enrichment Programs.
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Other duties as assigned by the Family and Community Engagement Facilitator and/or the Building Principal(s).
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Family Liaison will be assigned to one or more buildings based on need.
REQUIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Education, Training, and Experience
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Associates Degree or equivalent experience is required.
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Prior experience or equivalent training in a school, early education, or community agency setting is highly desired.
Knowledge, Abilities and Skills
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Ability to communicate verbally and in writing in English and in a second language. (Spanish, Arabic, or other prevalent language preferred)
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Strong interpersonal skills, must be able to communicate, interact and work effectively and cooperatively with all people including those from diverse ethnic, cultural, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
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Ability to relate to and work with a variety of constituencies including but not limited to: administrators, teachers, other school staff members, families, students, visitors, and community and social service agencies.
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Ability to work weekend and evening hours as needed.
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Familiarity with computers and computer software programs, particularly Microsoft Office and Google Suite.
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Ability to maintain accurate records.
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Ability to work well as part of a team.
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Must maintain confidentiality.
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Self-motivated, flexible, and well organized.
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Detail oriented with analytical and problem solving skills, along with customer service abilities and other related characteristics.
ADA and Minimum Qualifications to Perform Essential Job Functions
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Physical Requirements: Must be physically able to operate a variety of equipment including computers, copiers, adding machines, etc. Must be able to exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to lift, carry, push, and pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Must be able to stand, crouch and bend over for a long period of time at intervals throughout the day.
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Data Conception: Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural or composite characteristics (whether similar or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.
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Interpersonal Communication: Requires the ability to speak and/or signal people to convey or exchange information. Includes giving instructions, assignments or directions to subordinates or assistants.
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Language Ability: Requires the ability to read a variety of correspondence, reports, forms, newsletters, schedules, manuals, invoices, requisitions, menus, recipes, journals, etc. Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, reports, forms, evaluations, procedures, charts, surveys, articles, bid specifications, brochures, news releases, handbooks, budgets, etc., using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style. Requires the ability to speak before groups of people with poise, voice control and confidence.
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Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatic form; and to deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
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Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of technical or professional languages including medical, legal, accounting and marketing terminology.
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Numerical Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract; multiply and divide; utilize decimals and percentages; and to apply the principles of algebra and geometry.
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Form/Spatial Aptitude: Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.
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Motor Coordination: Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately in using office equipment.
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Manual Dexterity: Requires the ability to handle a variety of items such as office equipment and hand tools. Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.
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Interpersonal: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under stress and when confronted with emergency situations.
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Physical Communication: Requires the ability to talk (expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words) and hear (perceiving nature of sounds by ear). Must be able to communicate via telephone or radio.
