Family and Community Engagement (FACE)

Introduction
The Family and Community Engagement Office exists because CPS is committed to equity. The Family and Community Engagement Office is here to support family liaisons, faculty, staff and our administrators to work directly with families, in ways that are compassionate, respectful and effective. Building capacity in families to support their child's learning at home is key to children feeling good and being successful at school and in their futures. We believe in the Massachusetts Family Engagement Principles and Dual Capacity building (Mapp, 2014) and the office strives to embed these principles authentically, in our district and our community. We understand developing equitable and meaningful family engagement practices takes time and we are committed to co-generating plans and activities that will support our end goal. Our hope is rigor, joy, a sense of belonging and success for all of our scholars and their families.

Massachusetts Family Engagement Principles

1. Each family is unique and all families represent diverse structures. Family engagement includes genuine efforts to understand each family's beliefs, values, priorities, goals and aspirations. Families and practitioners make joint decisions and share responsibility in a successful partnership.
2. Diversity is expressed and experienced at multiple levels such as (but not limited to) race, religion, ethnicity, culture, language, family structures, ability, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and educational level. Acknowledging and accepting the need to engage all families is essential for successful engagement of diverse families and includes recognizing the strengths that come from their diverse backgrounds.
3. Building a respectful, trusting, and reciprocal relationship is a shared responsibility of families, practitioners, organizations, and systems. This positive relationship has the individual family's strengths and assets at its center.
4. Families are their child's first and best advocate. This premier role puts families in a unique position to nurture their children's growth and development and to help practitioners become knowledgeable about their child.
5. Equity is the eradication of privilege, oppression, disparities, and disadvantage. Family engagement must be equitable. Equitable family engagement comprises intentional and meaningful engagement activities and systems for all families or groups of families irrespective of families' level of or approach to engagement. Providing equity-based opportunities for family engagement can help family members become effective advocates for their children.

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The Village
Vision, mission, values
The vision defines the future state that the teams are working towards; the mission articulates how Caregiver U will contribute to that vision; the principles guide the ways in which this group/organization will work. Learn more >>

Supporting Affinity Groups
CPS Latinx Familes Group
Contact: Debbie Bonilla

Muslim Community of Cambridge Public School (MCCPS)
Contact: muslimcommunitycps@gmail.com

Cambridge Families of Color Coalition

Cambridge Families of Asian Descent