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October 17, 2023
Newark, NJ
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Students thrive when families are engaged in the school community. Research tells us that authentically engaging with families increases the likelihood of student success.
SPAN is both pleased and proud to announce it has been awarded a 5 year grant to provide direct services to New Jersey families, especially families with the greatest need - families of color, low-income families, families with limited English proficiency, families of children with disabilities and special healthcare needs, and families in struggling schools and districts, on how to effectively work with their children's schools and teachers in order to improve their children's academic outcomes and overall well-being. SPAN and its partners will also:
- Serve as a centralized information hub on family engagement.
- Inform educators, practitioners, and families about the latest educational barriers and opportunities.
- Provide parents and caregivers with easy-to-understand, usable information to solve present-day problems.
On October 11th, the Biden-Harris Administration announced $11.4 million in grants to 12 organizations in states and school districts across the country to improve and strengthen family engagement programs. This investment builds on the U.S. Department of Education’s “Raising the Bar for Parent Partnership in Our Schools” efforts to engage parents, family members, caregivers, or advocates.
The Statewide Family Engagement Centers (SFEC) program provides financial support to statewide organizations to carry out parent education and family engagement programs. In addition, the program provides technical assistance and support to state educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) in the implementation and enhancement of systemic and effective family engagement policies, programs, and activities that lead to improvements in student development and academic achievement.
SPAN is proud to be able to expand the services we provide to parents, families, SEAs and LEAs in New Jersey through this critical initiative, the New Jersey Family Engagement Hub! For more information, contact Jeannette Mejias, Director of Family Engagement Programs, at jmejias@spanadvocacy.org.
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