Family Engagement Team Lead

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is a district on the rise, serving over 320,000 students in 500 schools and employing over 44,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments – student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The Office of Early Childhood Education (OECE) supports students and families by providing early learning programs for children from birth to second grade in a variety of settings. OECE’s mission is to ensure all Chicago children and families engage in high-quality early learning experiences that lead to success in early grades and beyond. The Early Childhood Family and Community Engagement team plays a critical role in supporting schools to provide high quality experiences.

Job Summary:

The Lead Family and Community Engagement Specialist supports the implementation of a comprehensive strategy for family and community engagement within the Office of Early Childhood Education (OECE). This includes attendance, outreach and enrollment for annual Pre-K applications, and expanding early childhood family engagement programming at schools and networks, and building and fostering community partnerships to support early childhood within the district. The Lead Family and Community Engagement Specialist supports the management of a team of Family Engagement Coordinators and provides technical assistance, training, coaching, and support to these staff members. Lead Family and Community Engagement Specialist reports to the Manager of Family and Community Engagement within the Office of Early Childhood and closely collaborates with the OECE Program Team and OECE Application and Enrollment Team. This is a full-time exempt position that will be paid for hours worked on a saary basis.

This Job Will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Staff Development & Coaching: In collaboration with the Manager of Family Engagement, Develop and implement coaching plans and professional development for Family Engagement Coordinators, which includes conducting site visits, and supporting annual performance management.
• Program Implementation & Monitoring: In collaboration with the Manager of Family Engagement, co-design, support, and monitor district and OECE strategic initiatives and projects related to early childhood family engagement programs, resources, and attendance initiatives, including PK attendance. Review, analyze, and report on data related to strategic initiatives.
• Pre-K Application Outreach and Recruitment: In collaboration with the Manager of Family Engagement and the Application and project management teams, support annual initiatives focused on early childhood application outreach and recruitment efforts.
• Collaboration & Partnerships: Work collaboratively with internal teams (Application and Family Resource teams, Network Leaders, School Leaders, CPS Departments, OECE teams) and external citywide partners to support family engagement initiatives and build community partnerships.
• Other duties as assigned

Education Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Master’s degree preferred

Experience Required:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience working in the field of early childhood, family engagement, and/or community partnerships, including minimum of 2 years experience managing long-term projects and a minimum of 2 years experience managing or overseeing staff Experience in team leadership, group facilitation, project management, communication, and data analysis Experience working and serving urban diverse families and understanding knowledge of their needs
• Bilingual (preferred)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to articulate a vision, set high standards, and effectively guide networks, schools, principals, and early childhood staff in the realization of high quality family and community engagement in ECE
• Knowledge of best practices in coaching to support staff members in meeting and exceeding goals
• Ability to assess and evaluate community and school needs; ability to design resources or supports for communities or schools based on evaluation
• Ability to work effectively with parents from multicultural and economically diverse backgrounds
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing with all stakeholders
• Ability to collaborate with a diverse set of stakeholders in support of the mission, vision, and priorities of the district, network, and Office of Early childhood Knowledge of best practices for family engagement in early childhood settings
• Ability to facilitate adult learning Able to work independently as well as to function effectively and collaboratively with team members
• Excellent organization skills Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Able to analyze and use data to monitor, assess, and improve program quality, complete reports, projects, and other tasks in a professional and timely manner
• Ability to use a range of technology and tools, including but not limited to Microsoft and Google
• Able to possess a valid driver’s license and a car to travel to various locations throughout the district
• Maintain confidentiality of sensitive or privileged information.

Conditions of Employment:

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.