Family and Community Partnership Liaison Program

Overview 

The Family and Community Partnership Liaison program was designed to meet the increased needs of vulnerable youth by connecting schools, families, and students to community resources and local systems of care.

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce allocated federal COVID relief funding to the state’s educational service centers (ESCs) to employ a Family and Community Partnership Liaison. All participating ESCs have a Liaison designated to identify, create, and sustain partnerships to support vulnerable youth and families in their region. With the support of the Liaison, school districts and ESCs can foster transformative partnerships with families and communities to improve student wellness, increase family engagement, and serve the whole child.

ESC Family and Community Partnership Liaisons focus on the needs of student groups including (but not limited to) the following:

  • Youth in foster care

  • Youth experiencing homelessness

  • Justice-involved and adjudicated youth

  • English Learners

  • Military-connected youth

  • Students with disabilities
The Family and Community Partnership Liaisons receive training in family engagement, whole child practices and policies, and supports for vulnerable youth from the Center on Education, Training, and Employment and the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center at The Ohio State University.

This training began in January 2021 and continues monthly. Liaisons make connections to community stakeholders and potential partners, have conducted a community needs assessment, and designed a local approach to build family and community partnerships in the priority areas identified in the needs assessment. The Liaisons work has since expanded with not only a focus on vulnerable youth populations but also whole child interventions. 
 

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR SCHOOLS, DISTRICTS, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS:

School district staff, community partners, and other stakeholders can contact their Family and Community Partnership Liaison for resources and information regarding the following:
 
  • Connecting to high-quality family engagement supports;
  • Identifying opportunities to connect students and families with community partners and resources;
  • Locating direct service providers and community partners and agencies; and
  • Supporting local school district staff to serve highest need students and families
To contact the Family and Community Partnership Liaison servicing your school or  district, view this directory.

For questions regarding the ESC Family and Community Partnership Liaisons program or for more information, please contact the Family and Community Engagement Coordinator at latisha.humphries@education.ohio.gov or the Ohio State University team at esccaresliaisonnetwork@osu.edu.
 

Last Modified: 9/20/2024 8:35:24 AM