Urbana School District #116

TITLE:  School-Wide Dual Language Family Liaison

LOCATION:  Yankee Ridge Elementary School

SUPERVISOR:  Building Principal or designee

JOB SUMMARY:  Act as a liaison between the school and families, providing outreach and coordinating support services.  Coordinate, promote, and implement family education and school involvement activities for all students. Establish communication with students/families in targeted groups, provide interventions to students who are truant, assist students/families to improve students’ progress, and collaborate, monitor or make referrals to programs and supports. 

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:   Follows School Year Support Calendar

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: To perform this job successfully, the individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. 

• Attend staff, team, grade level, and/or professional development meetings as assigned by your supervisor.
• Consistently review attendance reports to identify students who are truant or at risk of dropping out of school
• Collaborate with case managers when targeted students have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan.
• Provide individualized interventions for targeted/caseload students.
• Provide small group interventions for targeted/caseload students.
• Maintain documentation of interventions provided for all targeted/caseload students. Documentation must be submitted weekly.
• Maintain open and consistent communication related to student attendance and progress with building administrator(s), targeted students’ teachers, and other support services personnel.
• Make home visits (in partnership with another staff member) and encourage parental involvement with the school.
• Maintain ongoing records of all contacts with targeted/caseload students, their families, and/or other related personnel.
• Identify and refer families to additional resources or parent training.
• Engage targeted/caseload students in various school settings and the home.
• Implement activities that support the improvement of the student's academic performance.
• Refer students and families for district and community resources.
• Establish rapport with students and advocate for their best educational interests.
• If designated by administration, attend monthly meetings of all Student Engagement Advocates (S.E.A.).
• Serve as an active member of the building staff and school community.
• Assist the district and its administrators and staff in enforcing all policies contained in the Student/Parent Handbook.
• Provide information about the school and district to families to support their engagement in their children’s education.
• Translate documents that are sent home with students for families to keep families informed about school activities and family engagement opportunities.
• Maintain a family resource room or area in the school to provide families with school and community resources to support the whole child.
• Assist families in completing school paperwork if needed.
• Communicate with teachers and office staff regarding family compliance with school district and state guidelines for physicals, immunizations, enrollment forms, and attendance; and follow up with families as needed.
• Coordinate with community agencies and follow up with student services such as vision, hearing, and dental screenings, food bank, and picture days.
• Assist with arrival/departure, bus loading/unloading, and family/student drop off to establish a rapport and make connections with families to support their engagement in their children’s education.
• Promote community awareness of the school and district through planning on-site tours, preparing and distributing informative brochures, and providing information about the school to local community agencies.
• Portray the school in a positive, innovative manner to families, community members, etc.
• Create and distribute written communication and materials such as school newsletters, instructional materials that support learning at home, school memos, forms, etc. Make sure written communication is translated for dual language students.
• Attend and assist families during parent conferences and family meetings to promote family engagement opportunities and to support families as needed.
• Educate families who are unfamiliar with our school system and how they can advocate for their children.
• Communicate with teachers and office staff regarding family communication to and from school.
• Collaborate with the school social workers to assist families with community resources such as childcare, health, food, clothing, and housing needs.
• Maintain records of family contacts in a log that includes when you email, call, and contact families in person or via other methods.
• Maintain records of attendance at family events, educational programs, and volunteerism on sign-in sheets
• Coordinate and assist with special events that are designed to enhance family engagement within the dual language program and school-wide with programs such as open houses, parent-teacher conferences, family reading night, math and science night, college and career readiness activities, field trips, on-site Urbana Park District activities, etc.
• Assist classroom teachers in establishing partnerships with families to enhance student achievement.
• Serve as a resource for families to support family engagement and strengthen the home-school partnership.
• Coordinate and attend family events at school and after-hours meetings that are directly related to family engagement.
• Coordinate family education workshops in collaboration with the building principal or designee
• Coordinate in-service training with families to demonstrate how to assist their children with literacy by developing literacy activities for the home in collaboration with Family Academic Support and Engagement/FASE leaders.
• Coordinate with the Kindergarten Transition Coordinator and Kindergarten Transition teacher to assist families with the transition into kindergarten, and to support literacy activities for the home.
• Coordinate with other Family Liaisons to plan and implement family events, educational programs, and workshops to support dual language students and families.
• Collaborate with classroom teachers to identify families who do not regularly attend school events and workshops, and personally invite those families to attend events and workshops.
• Once a quarter during staff meetings, communicate ways for staff members to engage families in a partnership with classroom teachers to enhance the education of their children. Discuss strategies to promote positive ongoing communication with families.
• Carry out any other duties directly related to family and community engagement as assigned by the building principal or designee

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Ability to work with children and young adults, their families, and educational staff.
• Knowledge of and an ability to keep records in organized systems.
• Knowledge of and an ability to work with computers and software (i.e. word processing, email, spreadsheets).
• Ability to work with economically disadvantaged children and their families.

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bilingual Spanish proficiency is required
• Experience connecting and working with children and families
• Knowledge of schools and education terminology
• Good computer and technology skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Experience and ability to work with people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds
• Excellent organizational skills
• Creative marketing ideas to brand the school and increase engagement activities for families
• Knowledge of how to use social media to promote and communicate school events

EVALUATION:  This position will be evaluated according to the school board policy and through the district evaluation process.

START DATE: ASAP

NOTE: This is a non-administrative, non-exempt position. This position is not a part of the collective bargaining unit.  Hourly pay rate starts at $19.30 up to $____/hr. dependent on qualifications, education and experience.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

REVISED:  May 2024