Parent Engagement Associate

  • Contract

Company Description

OUR MISSION: A network of parents working to build and engage parents and others to ensure every child has a champion.

OUR VISION: Parents are the driving force ensuring conditions exist for Metro-Detroit children to thrive.

The Detroit Parent Network Is Michigan’s Premier Parent Engagement Organization That Educates, Equips And Empowers Parents As Champions For Their Children And For Change In Their Schools And Community.

Growing from a start-up nonprofit in 2002, Detroit Parent Network is a membership network of more than 1,200 parents serving low-income families that are predominantly African American and Latino. DPN works to improve parent involvement in education, which is proven to promote child success. DPN is also Michigan’s premier parent membership association with 1,200 members who pay a small annual fee for a wide array of member benefits. DPN encourages our parent members to participate at every level of involvement with the school and at all stages of their child’s development.

A feature of DPN’s core programs is elevating parents to personal transformation which elevates their own pathway to literacy, workforce development and helps them support the aspirations of their children. DPN’s Core Parent Power Trainings are Parent Leadership, Parent Advocacy, Parenting Education (Love & Logic), Facilitator Training, and programs that foster a parent’s involvement in their child’s education. Central to DPN’s model is the recruitment, support and training of parents as peer-peer trainers that go on to become Home-based Early Childhood Literacy Coaches, and Train other Parents in early childhood to high school and college settings.

DPN utilizes a neighborhood-based framework for our work engaging families and partners on the Eastside, Westside, Central and Southwest neighborhoods. Each area team is responsible for partnering with organizations, schools, and community groups in their service areas. The DPN manager also has a parent program assistant (PPA) to assist with program delivery, promotion, and recruitment in their neighborhoods. In addition, each sector has a Parent Advisory Team (PAT) consisting of up to 20 parent members representing each zip code in the area. The Parent Advisory Teams assist the area team in assessing and addressing needs in their neighborhoods. The PATs also help to identify and engage local partners, from neighborhood-based organizations to small neighborhood businesses. Partners can be involved in everything from an individual event to hosting the DPN core programs, providing seven weeks of parent training. DPN also contracts with early care and learning providers and schools to provide specific parent workshops as identified by the school.

DPN’s work in the community includes new partnerships in Health to better connect families and intentional work to lift up Special Needs Families as a population of parents who have powerful stories, recommendations and needs that too often are overlooked.

As a result of its advocacy work with families DPN is also pleased to provide leadership in helping parents understand and strategize around the challenges of Michigan’s Third Grade Reading Legislation. Accordingly it has brought together parents, educators and advocates in bilingual workshops to better understand the legislation. While families learn the penalties and opportunities in the law, there is simultaneous emphasis on the need to embrace and encourage early literacy and reading as essential to lifelong learning and career attainment.

In 2017-18, DPN provided programming through contracts with six schools (both district and charter), as well as providing grant-funded services to eleven schools, sixteen Head Start and child care facilities, four City of Detroit recreation centers, and some twenty nonprofit and faith-based organizations. Services include training, support groups, workshops and parent/child activities. DPN in addition to its training offers two Pathways programs. Pathways to Literacy a home-based, peer-to-peer literacy program for children ages 1.5 to 4.5 years old that is also offered in Spanish. In the summer of 2018 DPN embarked on building an innovative pilot entitled Pathways to Education and Careers as a multi-generational workforce development pilot that already has partners in higher education, workforce development and a exciting partnership with the Detroit College Access Network DCAN.

Pathways to Education and Careers is a collaborative approach that infuses parent engagement and an equity framework across adult education, colleges, workforce agencies and corporate partners in order to reduce inter-generational poverty. Through its history of supporting and empowering parents, DPN understands that a deeper and more equitable approach with Families is required particularly in Metro Detroit where so many young people and adults are seemingly locked out of the economic development that thrives in Downtown and the suburbs.

Job Description

DPN Parent-Family Engagement Associates are an essential part of the DPN Team. Parent Engagement Associates may work in more than one program. Associates report to and support Program Managers and varied DPN programs assisting with daily operational needs, outreach, special projects, events and provide great customer service to DPN members and the public.

Associates based on their background, experience and interest will receive training and support in DPN projects:

- Helping families impacted by COVID19 or other health concerns
- Serving as an early literacy coach with families and schools
- Be an advocate for Get Out the Vote!
- Building Parents as leaders in the home and community!

The Associate must communicate regularly with her/his supervisor daily to fulfill tasks, distribute information, and verify project timelines. Associates assist Program Managers and DPN as a whole in meetings, generating ideas and working as a team to better serve our members and community partners. Associates help DPN meet its goals and deliver high quality services across all areas of the organization. Associates are also primary in engaging parents and the community and may perform as much as 75% of their time at community settings and events. As a result of COVID19, Associates may also work remotely to engage, support and implement program goals.
Associates are also essential in data entry and member follow-up; keeping DPN facilities and or other work locations clean and functional to meet program needs and maintaining a welcoming demeanor to assure that DPN offers a positive environment for all families and stakeholders.

Position and Time:
1. Associates may be compensated as a full time employee, part time employee or as a contractor dependent on the program funding. Associates specific hours per week are determined by the program or grant
2. $14-$18/hr dependent on experience, education, and qualifications
3. The specifics hours and schedule for a given associate position are discussed in the interview

Position Duties
Associates Support Program Manager(s), Special Activities and the DPN Administration as directed with a focus on Positive Team Work and Meeting Grant Expectations

1. Planning, scheduling, organizing, prepping, cleaning and hosting meetings and events
2. Communicating, coordinating activities, materials, resources, people between DPN internal teams and the public as directed using in person, online and telephonic communication
3. Monitoring/reviewing programming to ensure that schedules are met, guidelines are adhered to, and service delivery are of high quality
4. Developing ideas for programming and potential partnerships for programs, members and the community in variety of settings including homes, schools and other community organizations
5. Creating, editing, duplicating and distributing promotional publications, such as brochures
6. Fundraising, help establish and participate in fundraising, help safeguard contributions, and ways to communicate to members, board and community
7. Evaluating program effectiveness, help distribute, collect and tally evaluations and their communication internally and externally
8. Inventorying and assuring supplies and materials are within budget, organized properly and accounted for
9. Data entry in the DPN Database including events, lists, and varied activities. Data may also be entered into program spreadsheets and/or other tools
10. Advocacy and promoting DPN via Social-Media, Print and Word of Mouth, assisting members with technology, individual and team outreach in promoting programs and issues

 

Qualifications

Qualifications
1. Must be honest and ethical
2. Must enjoy and be effective working in teams along wih engaging and empowering families
3. Must be willing to learn, participate in training, take on responsibilities and challenges
4. Must be careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks
5. Must be pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude
6. Must be sensitive to others' needs and feelings and be understanding and helpful on the job
7. Must be able to analyze information and use logic to address work-related issues and problems
8. Must be timely, clean and dress appropriately for a professional community organization

Requirements
1. Must have at minimum a high-school diploma or equivalent. Some college preferred
2. Must have accurate typing and good Microsoft Office skills
3. Must have good oral and written communication skills
4. Must have good organization and follow-up skills
5. At least 1 year of experience working with the public in a customer service role in schools, health, business, retail and/or community settings (Nonpaid or non-traditional experience is accepted)
6. Must have reliable transportation; this position requires at least 25% travel with mileage compensation
7. Must be able to lift 25 lbs. without complication
8. Must be willing to communicate regularly with team members
9. Must have basic knowledge of a digital cam and using social media

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.