Parent Mentor Assistant Organizer

JOB SUMMARY:  The Illinois Statewide Parent Mentor Program is a nationally recognized best practice in parent engagement for low-income communities, first developed by Logan Square Neighborhood Association in 1995. The Parent Mentor Program as a structured avenue for building parent involvement in schools, parent-teacher relationships and for eventually leveraging community resources and support for the schools.


ESSENTIAL DUTIES:  The Community Organizer is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of the program and making sure the year-long work plan is successfully executed. The standard workload is .25 FTE organizers per school.  In each school, the organizer will hire and train a Parent Mentor Coordinator, who in turn recruits, trains and supports a cohort of Parent Mentors.  The Community Organizer also serves as a sort of “leverager” – one of the Organizer’s primary responsibilities is to make sure that the program is having an impact both inside and outside the classroom.  This could include seeking out leadership development opportunities for Parent Mentors inside the school, identifying issues in the community where Parent Mentors could become engaged, and building lasting connections between the school community and the community-based organization.


RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Recruit, interview, select, and supervise Parent Mentor Coordinators.
• Attend all Parent Engagement Institute statewide monthly meetings and Trainings
• Train and support PMCs to recruit, interview, select, and supervise parent mentors, as well as Parent volunteers to participate in the program.
• Work with Parent Mentor Coordinators to provide 5-day initial training to the parent mentor group.
• Work with Parent Mentor Coordinators to plan and conduct weekly meetings/workshops/trainings with Parent Mentors.
• Work with school administration to match parent mentors to teachers based on needs and availability
• Submitting reports in a timely manner to the Parent Engagement Institute
• Have one-on-one meetings with parents, teachers, administrators, and community leaders
• Engage parent mentors in leadership development opportunities both inside the school and in the community
• Maintain good communication with school staff and administration
• Organize workshops across schools and assist PMC to organize one Parent Led Event that engages additional school parents.
• Ensure all surveys (pre and post) are completed in a timely manner
• Ensure parent mentor stipends are disbursed according to PEI policy
• Oversee the handling and safe keeping of parent mentor records by PMC
• Maintain communication with your assigned PEI Program Support Manager and meet with them as required
• Collect other necessary data for Parent Engagement Institute and invite participants focus groups as needed for program evaluation

SKILLS:

• Excellent time management skills and ability to multi-task and prioritize work
• Attention to detail and problem-solving skills
• Strong organizational and planning skills in a fast-paced environment
• A creative mind with an ability to suggest improvements

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Must have significant experience working with parent groups in low-income communities.
• Experience in training groups and program implementation.
• Experience in organizing paperwork and managing reporting documents.
• Ability to travel to different training /events venues around the state.
• Ability to take initiative and work with a team
• Computer proficiency
• Committed to self-growth and development
• Must have access to an automobile with valid driver’s license and insurance
• Each Coordinator must be accountable to his/her responsibilities and must act with the highest level of professionalism, must communicate regularly with the PMP Organizer, PMP Team and must demonstrate a strong commitment to the success of the program