Welcome to the 1st issue of The Hub Newsletter

Welcome Message
Hub Updates and Community Highlights
Spotlight On! The Partners Driving NJFEHUB Forward
Featured Articles and Resources
Stay Connected

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Webinar

Upcoming Webinar: Family Math

April 8, 2025, from 11 am to 12 pm

Registration Link

Upcoming SPAN Conference

September 27, 2025, from 8 am to 2 pm

Stay tuned for the registration link!

To view this newsletter as a webpage, click here.

A welcome message from the project Co-Directors

Dear Families, Educators, and Community Partners: Welcome to the inaugural edition of the New Jersey Family Engagement Hub Newsletter!

We are thrilled to introduce this platform as a space for sharing stories, strategies, and resources that strengthen the connections between families, schools, and communities.

As Co-Project Directors, we believe that meaningful family engagement is essential for the academic and social success of every child. Our vision for the NJ Family Engagement Hub is rooted in collaboration and trust. Families are not just stakeholders—they are essential partners in the learning journey. Together, we can create environments where all children thrive.

As Dr. Karen Mapp reminds us:

“When schools and families work together, everyone benefits—students do better in school and in life, families become more empowered, and communities grow stronger."

This newsletter will highlight inspiring work from across the state, elevate the voices of families, and provide actionable tools for engagement. Whether you are a parent, educator, or community leader, we hope this newsletter supports you in building deeper partnerships and fostering student success.

Thank you for being a part of this journey with us. Let’s continue to grow, learn, and lead—together.

In partnership,

Dr. Lanisha Makle-Ridley and Jeannette Mejias

Co-Project Directors

New Jersey Family Engagement Hub

Dr. Lanisha - Makle Ridley

Lanisha Makle-Ridley

Jeannette Mejias

Hub Updates & Community Highlights

School Districts with signed MOUs: 6 and Growing!

We’ve partnered with six school districts. Regional specialists from the NJ Family Engagement Hub help create diverse school action teams, now conducting a GAPS Assessment to identify challenges and develop strategic solutions.

Sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on our progress

and opportunities to get involved!

Subscribe Today!

Welcome to the Team! Jamie Betances, our new Central Regional Engagement Specialist!

Jamie has over 10 years of experience in child welfare, family advocacy, and community outreach. Fluent in English and Spanish, Jamie excels in case management, family empowerment, and advocating for children’s rights. She has a proven track record of collaborating with schools,

government agencies, and nonprofits to provide comprehensive support for families. Jamie has successfully coached families facing challenges like mental health, substance abuse, and neglect, using a trauma-informed, strengths-based approach with experience at the Department of Children & Families in New Jersey. As a passionate advocate for family engagement, Jamie is committed to fostering strong relationships with community partners and empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds.

We’re excited to have you on board!

Engagement with the Community: Serving on Groups and Leading By Convening Summit

On March 25, 2025, NJFEHUB hosted its second Serving on Groups and Leading by Convening Summit at the NJ FEA Conference Center in Monroe Township, New Jersey. Our Serving on Groups (SoG) "train the trainer" session teaches people how to present an interactive training series on serving on decision-making groups and developing leadership skills for diverse families to participate effectively in advisory groups and task forces.

Leading by Convening (LbC) focuses on reshaping meetings to prioritize content and relationship building, helping leaders engage stakeholders to improve outcomes for children and youth with disabilities while driving sustainable change.

Advisory Committee

On January 16, 2025, the New Jersey Family Engagement Hub held its first advisory committee meeting. Our advisory members include parents and organizations such as Booksmart, NAFSCE, the New Jersey Department of Education (DOE), Paterson Education Fund, and SEL 4 NJ met the Hub team, discussed the committee’s purpose, reviewed initiatives, and shared a collective vision to support families, students, and communities.

We’re inviting more parents to help shape our efforts!

Learn more about joining the Advisory Committee and apply today.

Get Involved!

Spotlight On! The Partners Driving NJFEHUB Forward

Jamie Zibulsky is co-author of Book Smart: How to Support and Develop Successful, Motivated Readers

Boof Smart is a how-to guide for parents rich with stories, lessons, activities, and ideas aimed at addressing the broad range of interpersonal, social, emotional, and motivational skills that must be fostered in young children. Based on the activities described in the book, Jamie created the Book Smart reading

workshop series to support parents and caregivers of young readers in making home reading sessions engaging and interactive. Each workshop session focuses on a key early literacy skill and provides examples of how to embed information about that concept into home reading time in a fun and developmentally appropriate way.

Caregivers who have completed these workshops report building many skills that support reading development, as well as increasing their time spent reading as a family.

NAFSCE Center for Family Math: The National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE)

NAFSCE Center for Family Math: The National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE) is a membership organization dedicated to advancing family, school, and community engagement to promote equitable educational outcomes for all children.

The Center for Family Math is an emerging movement to promote math activities within the context of family relationships and everyday life,

from the grocery store to the playground during breakfast, bath time, or bedtime. The practices inherent in Family Math are designed to help young children strengthen their math skills and feel enthusiastic and confident in their math abilities.

The movement empowers parents, organizations, and early educators with knowledge, tools, and resources that help them feel excited about introducing and exploring mathematical concepts. Visit the NAFSCE Website.

New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE)

New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE): The official New Jersey Department of Education website provides information, resources, and updates on education policies, programs, and services for students, parents, educators, and schools across the state. Visit the NJDOE Website.

Paterson Education Fund

Paterson Education Fund: is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to stimulate community action for change so that the Paterson Public Schools ensure that all Paterson children achieve high standards. Founded in 1983, PEF’s activities build and nourish a constituency for systematic school reform by educating the community on the importance of high standards and expectations in providing quality education for all children.

PEF convenes and brokers relationships between the Paterson school district and private sector entities interested in public education in Paterson. Visit the Paterson Education Fund Website.

SEL 4 NJ Social Emotional Alliance for New Jersey

SEL 4 NJ (Social Emotional Alliance for New Jersey) promotes and supports high-quality social-emotional learning (SEL) in New Jersey schools and communities to foster student success and well-being.

The mission of SEL4NJ is to continuously build a network of organizations and individuals in

New Jersey that are committed to the importance of developing students' social and emotional competencies,

and through this collaboration, promote a systematic and intentional integration of SEL, as broadly defined, in schools and other organizations, including before and after school programming. Visit the SEL4NJ Website.

Featured Articles and Resources

What are some engaging games, videos, and printable materials—like the Education Development Center's "Young Mathematicians Math at Home" and DREME Family Math Activities—that help make math fun and practical for children?

“Family Math - National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement.” Nafsce.org, 2021, nafsce.org/general/custom.asp?page=familymath. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

Team, PressReader. “The Ongoing Evolution of Public Libraries as Community Hubs.” Pressreader.com, PressReader, 9 Dec. 2024, blog.pressreader.com/libraries-institutions/the-ongoing-evolution-of-public-libraries-as-community-hubs. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.