Parent and Family Engagement Coordinator - Mather High School

About Our Organization:

At Youth Guidance, we believe that no matter what challenges a young person faces, they are more likely to succeed when they have caring adults in their lives. Our highly-trained staff guides kids to overcome the life and academic challenges facing the  youth. We meet kids where they are — physically and emotionally — to help them focus on their education, make positive choices, and remain on the right path toward life success.

Founded in 1924  today Youth Guidance is a leading provider of outcomes-driven programs serving more than 8,500 youth while touching the lives of more than 14,000 youth, parents, teachers, and community members.

Position Summary:
Support in the development of programming, events and activities based on school, parent, and student interests/needs to help foster the critical thinking and independence of students. With a focus on social and emotional learning, academic enrichment, community service, leadership, fine and performing arts, and health & wellness.

Hours: Monday-Friday 10am-6pm

Location:

Mather High School

5835 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60659

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary contact for parent and community programming at the school,· Plan, coordinate, and manage a comprehensive, inclusive, and culturally responsive parent and family engagement approach consisting of workshops, classes and activities for adults at their local school.· Coordinates and provides direct outreach to parents, caregivers, and community members to champion authentic parent engagement.

• Support the Resource Coordinator with planning and facilitating monthly Leadership Team meetings with school, parents, and community leaders. Including supporting with needs assessment and reviewing parent data collaboratively.

• Collaborate with parents and community partners to meet parents’ needs in leadership development, social-emotional learning (SEL), health services, and other areas of support.

• Foster a welcoming, inclusive, and family-friendly environment that honors racial justice, equity, and cultural relevance.

• Support and elevate parent voice in school decisions by building relationships with parents and caregivers including conducting surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one conversations to understand parent needs and concerns. Provide opportunities for ongoing feedback.

• Lead recruitment and retention efforts for adult participants

• Provide ongoing support and resources to students and parents, connecting them to school, community, and organizational resources holistically.

• Provides leadership for successful implementation of the Annual Youth Guidance Parent Leadership Conference (PLC). Works with school staff to ensure active parent engagement in the PLC.

• Maintain accurate and comprehensive records of all parent involvement activities, including reports, surveys, funding documentation, annual program evaluations, and communications with families.

• Ensure timely and effective completion of all program deliverables, meeting reporting requirements and deadlines.

• Attend relevant meetings, including team meetings, school-led meetings, community events, parent meetings, and other stakeholder gatherings.

• Complete all required training and compliance requests.

• Adhere to the established program schedule and proactively communicate with supervisor in advance regarding any anticipated absences and changes in availability.

• Maintain a professional work ethic, appropriate appearance, and adherence to the dress code of the school and Youth Guidance, while consistently representing the organization in a positive and respectful manner at all times.

• Other duties as assigned

Education/Experience/Training

• Bachelor’s degree preferred but not required from an accredited university
• 3-5 years of relevant experience
• Excellent communication and organizational skills
• Experience serving as an advocate for children and parents
• Strong public speaking, Interpersonal, and presentation skills
• Self-motivated leaders who can work independently as well as part of team
• Knowledge of family engagement research and literature
• Understands and respects the diversity of families’ economic, linguistic and cultural
• backgrounds and situations
• Experience with developing collaborative partners and building relationships with constituents in the community (including school district central office, school principals, schools staff, community-based organizations, universities etc)
• Strong understanding of child and adolescent growth, student achievement data, and social emotional development
• Ability to effectively engage school, community and district level leaders
• Ability to develop and conduct trainings with agency and school staff and share best practices to support program goals
• Ability to develop and manage budgets and mobilize resources to support program goals
• Bilingual in Spanish and English preferred.

Skills/Abilities

• Communication: Able to use effective written and oral communication with internal and external audiences and stakeholders; demonstrates empathy and listening
• Client orientation: Can recognize needs of diverse stakeholders and approaches relationships with a service orientation to ultimately maximize impact
• Equity mindset: Understands and is committed to goals of equity; consistently brings
• an equity mindset to the organization’s work and workplace
• Growth mindset: Views growth as important for personal and professional development; seeks out opportunities to expand skills, even if change is required; Demonstrated ability to be solutions-focused, self-reflective, and dedicated the continuous improvement of service quality
• Ownership and quality of work: Effectively manages own work and work of teams ensuring delivery of high-quality work. Proven ability to be innovative and a self- starter
• External representation and relationship building: Represents the organization among external stakeholders, and builds strong, trusting relationships with stakeholders
• Manages with data: Understands data; analyzes data and identifies insights and implications
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office Products (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Ability to attend some Saturday events and some evenings.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• This job operates in a professional office environment, school setting, and working with the public
• Occasional local travel

Benefits

Youth Guidance offers a competitive benefit package for eligible full-time employees including the option to participate in medical, dental, and vision plans as well as short-term disability, life insurance, flex spending accounts, pet insurance, 401k, a wellness program and more. You may also quality for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).

Our Values

At Youth Guidance, we believe that creating a welcoming and supportive environment where everyone feels valued and respected is fundamental to realizing our vision of bright and successful futures for all young people. We acknowledge that many systems and institutions intended to support youth do not provide fair treatment or access for everyone. We strive to celebrate the unique qualities of youth and recognize them as empowered leaders, problem-solvers, and experts of their own experiences.

Youth Guidance is an equal opportunity employer. Youth Guidance does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law and is committed to fostering a welcoming and supportive environment where everyone feels valued and respected. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.