Chapter Two
THE PARENT INVOLVEMENT COORDINATOR 
Knowing who they are and what is unique about their job fosters confidence in parent involvement coordinators. Being clear about their roles, relationships, duties, and priorities makes their job easier. The coordinators need to understand the dimensions and potential of the positions they hold.

ROLE OF PARENT INVOLVEMENT COORDINATOR

Because of the differences in the structure and staffing of Head Start programs, the responsibilities of parent involvement coordinators vary from center to center and from agency to agency. In some programs coordinators work directly with parents. At delegate or grantee levels they supervise other staff who have direct parent contact. Often, coordinators are responsible for social services as well as parent involvement.

No matter what their specific responsibilities are, parent involvement coordinators serve as facilitators, coordinators, and in some cases, supervisors, within the Head Start program. In all cases, they are a critical part of a team effort to involve families fully in the program.

As Facilitator
Parent involvement coordinators facilitate, or make it easier, for others to do their jobs - as teachers, parents, committee members, or service providers. They do not do for others what others can and should do for themselves, but rather help them find ways to assume and fulfill responsibilities which are theirs.

Coordinators are willing to sit down with a parent, staff member or agency representative to talk through an idea or problem and find a solution. They know who to call when someone asks for help or information. They are supportive, reinforcing colleagues' and parents' efforts to make wise decisions and act on them.

As Coordinator
Parent involvement coordinators have an overview and understanding of how parents can and should be involved in every aspect of the program. They help staff members to find opportunities for parent participation in each component and to schedule activities so that conflicts are avoided. They notify parents of upcoming events and help them to plan and evaluate activities, using staff members as resources. In short, they help staff and parents to work together harmoniously.

As Supervisor
As supervisors, parent involvement coordinators at the delegate or grantee agency level oversee the performance of staff who are responsible for parent involvement. They begin by making sure
the staff know what their duties are and how to perform them. They provide regular inservice
training through workshops and individual conferences. Whenever possible, they accompany staff on home visits and join them in parent meetings. This active participation allows the supervisors to answer questions, make suggestions, and give immediate reinforcement and support to the staff. They teach the staff techniques for self-assessment and, with them, evaluate their performance regularly. In their dealings with staff as well as parents, they model a professional attitude of honesty, openness, and respect for confidentiality.

RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS

Coordinators who understand that they are members of a team encourage the staff to cooperate. How they develop relationships with directors, other staff members, parents, and children will demonstrate their commitment to this cooperation.

With The Director
Usually coordinators report to directors of agencies; in some cases, they may report to social services directors or parent involvement specialists. When directors value the role of coordinators and support their efforts for parent participation, the staff wilusually do the same. If coordinators look to directors for guidance in establishing priorities and working within the organization, they will more easily gain the cooperation of directors and staff. By sharing their knowledge of the community and their understanding of parents and their needs, coordinators help directors meet their responsibility for the smooth functioning of the total program. Together, they train staff, parents and community members to be effective members of policy-making groups.

With The Staff
Mutual respect and good rapport make it easier for coordinators and staff to do their jobs successfully. Through training and planning sessions the coordinators promote the staff's understanding of parent involvement. They stimulate the staff to devise creative ways to involve parents in the program. Coordinators keep staff informed of parent activities and encourage them to participate when appropriate.

Recognizing that it is sometimes difficult for several people with as many opinions or priorities to agree, they provide opportunities for staff to come together to talk through ideas, feelings and differences. Coordinators recognize that conflicts are sometimes inevitable and help people find healthy ways to resolve impasses.

With Parents
Coordinators' relationships to parents are those of helper, resource, and friend. Their belief in parents helps parents to accept and enjoy their role as the primary educators of their children. With coordinators, parents can try out new ideas, explore feelings, and get support, Coordinators make it easier for parents to meet their own responsibilities by referring them to services of assistance and support within Head Start and the community. In addition, they help parents to plan adult-oriented activities to meet their needs.

With the Children
"You came to my house" has a familiar, excited ring to it. Children love having the adults from their Head Start world cross into their home world as much as they enjoy having their parents. come into the center. The coordinator who has spent time with a child in both settings has a better grasp of the child's and the parents' styles and personalities, and the context in which they live. Knowing the coordinator in both places can also help children bridge their home and center worlds.

With the Community
In the community the parent involvement coordinators are highly visible representatives of the
Head Start program. They use community resources wisely, and are convincing about how Head
Start can help the community in return. In doing so, they usually work closely with the social
services director.

If coordinators live within the community, they carry added weight as citizens attempting to help their own community meet its own needs. The coordinator who is new to a community would be
well-advised to spend the first few weeks becoming acquainted with the area - using neighborhood laundromats, stopping in at the community center, patronizing community stores, attending local meetings. He or she thus discovers who the grassroots leaders are and has an opportunity to meet them. These relationships will be useful in the coordinator's future efforts in recruiting families, enlisting community support, exploring job opportunities for parents, and developing comprehensive services for Head Start families.

With Others
The coordinator should make an effort to develop good relationships with the regional office and grantee staff, as well as the training and technical assistance providers. The coordinator who is able to accept guidance from them and to reciprocate with honest comments on what works and what at does not contributes to the development of sound programs and policies.
 

DOING THE JOB

Knowing his or her role in Head Start and the kinds of relationships he or she has with others provides the parent involvement coordinator with an orientation to this job. Actually doing the job requires more information. The coordinator needs to know what the duties are, what jobs to tackle first, and how to use time well.

Writing a Job Description
The roles and relationships of the parent involvement coordinator are complex. In order to focus energy efficiently, the coordinator needs a clear delineation of duties. A written job description provides this.

At a minimum, a job description is an outline of specffic duties that must be performed by the person holding the job. It tells what must be done, not how to do it. Usually the job description gives the title of the person to whom the employee reports - his or her supervisor. Information such as salary range, qualifications, and major functions may also be included.

If no job description for the parent involvement coordinator exists, the coordinator can write one. Before beginning, the coordinator needs to study Head Start policies, objectives, and performance standards for parent involvement so that the tasks he or she later outlines contribute to the accomplishment of these goals. Next, the coordinator should discuss the job with the supervisor as well as other staff members. These discussions can help the coordinator clarify ideas and understand the expectations of others. The final job description must be approved by the supervisors and shared with the staff. Unless those with whom the coordinator works understand these duties as clearly as the coordinator, confusion will persist.

Following is a sample job description which can be used as a guide. It does not tell what duties are appropriate for coordinators; each program must decide that. Rather, it offers ideas on how to describe duties and how specific to be when doing so. It also provides a format for writing a job description.

Major Function: Responsible for the involvement of parents in the Head Start Program in conformance with the Head Start performance standards.

Reports to: Director

Responsibilities and Duties:
Develops comprehensive plan for the parent involvement cornponent in cooperation with parents      and other staff.
Organizes orientation for parents and regular group meetings.
Facilitates the formation of the center committee and orients parents to their roles and functions; trains parent representatives for participation in policy committee and council; trains parents for
civic activity.
Assists parents in assessing their needs and developing programs and activities to meet them, using staff and community resources.
Works with staff in involving parents in education, health and social service components in conformance with performance standards and educates them to parents' roles and needs. Plans and develops a communications system among program management, staff, and parents using a variety of methods.
Collects and analyzes information which documents parent involvement in the program; maintains records of parent participation.
Develops procedures and assists staff and parents in evaluating parent involvement in the program.

Setting Priorities and Using Time Well
Because many tasks demand the attention of the parent involvement coordinator it helps to determine which tasks are more important, which contribute mostto meeting the objectives of the program. These tasks should be given priority and the coordinator should spend more time on them than on others.

The coordinator can begin setting priorities by rating the duties listed in his or her job description in order of importance. Beneath each duty, the tasks involved might be listed. It might be helpful to ask other staff members to rate the coordinator's duties in the same way and discuss their reasons. In the process of discussing priorities, the coordinator might decide to reorder the list. In any case, priorities will probably need to be adjusted periodically as the needs of the parents and the program change.

After establishing priorities, the coordinator should analyze bow well he or she spends time. For several weeks, the coordinator should keep a record of activities by the hour. (See following sample.) When that is completed, a comparison can be made between time allocations and the list of priorities. If the coordinator is not spending most time on the most important tasks, he or she can rearrange a schedule to do so. While that is not a simple task, in the long run it contributes to greater accomplishment and job satisfaction.




DAILY TIME LOG
(Sample)
8:30-9:00 Eased into day- coffee with Irma in the kitchen.

9:00-10:00 Met with Julia (director) and Mrs. Watson (chairperson, Policy Council) to draw up agenda for next Council meeting.
 

10:00-10:30 Called local Social Security Administration Office to invite field representative as speaker for next month's "Know Your Rights" meeting - will be explaining benefits available to handicapped kids through Supplementary Security Income Program.

Called Mr. Lake, former board president of local bank to remind him of next Policy Council meeting - Mr. L. has been sitting in as a trainer in policy group responsibilities and processes.

Called Mrs. Vitarelli to arrange home visit for next Thursday morning.

10:30-11:00 Spend half hour with Katie who is frustrated by passive parent volunteer K.- is going to try giving her 2-3 specific tasks each time she is there and actively reinforce her for following through.

11:00-12:00 Updated records on attendance at last parent meeting, last "parent involvement plan" planning session, parent vohmteer time.

12:00-1:00 Lunch with kids and staff.

1:00-3:00 Met with parents and staff to continue work on parent education plan.

3:00-4:30 Home visit to the Bakers -took article about La Leche League to Mrs. B. as she is encountering much resistance from husband and family in her wish to breast-feed new baby.

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