Parent Liaison

Description: The Parent Liaison, under the general supervision and direction of the building principal, acts as a public relations liaison between the school and parents/families by planning, coordinating, communicating and facilitating parent involvement activities that empowers parents to become active participants in the education of their children at school and helps parents to support their children's learning at home; recruits, trains and coordinates parents in volunteer opportunities; provides information in order to encourage communication with parents/families and school administration; and assists with the budgeting and accounting of fundraising dollars.

Job Summary:

1. Recruits, trains and coordinates parents in volunteer opportunities; works with the principal, teachers, parent-teacher organization, and other staff to determine volunteer needs; contacts and assigns appropriate volunteers; and maintains records of volunteer assignments/hours, including maintaining background check information for parent volunteers.
2. Assists the school to develop a family-friendly school climate in collaboration with the principal, teachers, parent-teacher organization, and other staff;
3. Develops and implements programs and activities designed to engage parents/families in improving student achievement in collaboration with the principal, teachers, parent-teacher organization, and other staff; coordinates and organizes parents in volunteer opportunities based upon staff needs and school programming needs, including, but not limited to web pages, book fair, soup labels, box tops, family dance, Bingo, picture day, and vision and hearing; contacts parents to serve on school committees or to attend special events at school; serves as a contact person for parents to call with questions about school services or specific activities and events.
4. Assists teachers/staff and parents/families develop strong partnerships and enhance communication between parents/families and school staff; disseminates information to parents/families to support their children's success at school and their children's learning at home; communicates school routines, policies, procedures, events and available resources to parent/family stakeholders, including volunteers and parent-teacher organization; performs record keeping and clerical functions (e.g., scheduling, copying, newsletters, etc.) for the purpose of supporting the teacher and/or building principal in providing necessary records/materials for students or sent to parents/families.
5. Assists the parent-teacher organization and school secretary with the budgeting and accounting of fundraising dollars; operates parent liaison activities within a defined budget.
6. Attends meetings and participates as a member of the District's Parent Involvement Committee and school parent-teacher organization; provides updates and shares information regarding activities, obtains feedback, gathers information and direction in order to plan and implement activities, and provides input.
7. Other duties of a similar nature as assigned.

Qualifications:

1. Must have a high school diploma or equivalent experience.
2. Relevant experience working with parents/students/families and/or community members.
3. Demonstrated understanding of class and cultural backgrounds of families and how to work effectively with families from different class and cultural backgrounds; ability to think and act in ways that respect ethnic, cultural and language diversity.
4. Ability to communicate effectively – both oral and written – with teachers, parents/families, administrators, and students.
5. Effective interpersonal skills; ability to communicate via a variety of means (e.g., telephone, email, etc.) to solicit and communicate information and recruit volunteers.
6. Ability to advocate for children and parents/families; interest in parent/family involvement in schools.
7. Ability to organize time, materials/resources, and people effectively.
8. Ability to delegate work effectively.