Family & Community Engagement Coordinator (Bilingual Spanish)

Organization Description

PAVE is a K-8 college-preparatory charter school that lays the foundation for a productive and choice-filled life. We build our students brick by brick; equipping them with the academic, social, and emotional skills that they need to become critical thinkers, problem solvers, overcomers, and leaders in their communities.

Founded in 2008, PAVE's college preparatory school model prepares students to gain access to the competitive high schools that will place them on a path of expanded opportunities, and empower them to access lives of choice. PAVE educates 400 Kindergarten – 8th-grade scholars each school year. Across our student population, 87 percent of our students are eligible for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program (FRLP); 25 percent are students with special needs, and 11 percent are English Language Learners (ELL). 

Opportunity Summary

Reporting directly to PAVE Red Hook's K-8 Director of Operations, the Family & Community Engagement Coordinator will lead the school's efforts to build and sustain its relationships with student families and the Red Hook community, including its marketing & communications efforts. Ideal candidates will have demonstrated exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, the ability to manage the communication of information and sentiments from the school to the community as well as within the school building, and are aligned with PAVE's core values and educational philosophy. The Family & Community Engagement Coordinator must build and maintain important external relationships while always sustaining focus on PAVE's consistent achievement of its mission, academic outcomes, and operational objectives. This role is also responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing PAVE family-focused events that strengthen school–family partnerships and promote meaningful engagement across the school community.

How You'll Contribute

Student Recruitment and Enrollment

• Develop and manage annual project plans, including but not limited to:
  • New Student recruitment 
  • Lottery
  • Student Re-enrollment
  • New student enrollment
• Support the school's efforts to inform and recruit new families by:
  • Serving as the school's representative at community and pre-k events (some evenings and weekends required)
  • Leading tours of the school's campus for prospective families as well as community stakeholders
  • Canvass neighborhoods to recruit new students
  • Creating student recruitment materials
• Creating a plan to meet established student enrollment goals

Community Engagement

• Develop and implement PAVE's community engagement strategy with support from PAVE's Executive Director
  • Develop a community partnerships strategy focused on growing direct resources for the school
  • Create new service provider and community partnerships in order to sponsor/ co-sponsor local events and programs that further connect our school to the Red Hook and Sunset Park communities
  • Create a process to manage elected officials and stakeholder outreach
  • Attend selected community events regularly to grow strategic relationships
• Build on existing partnerships with key service providers and community organizations
• Support school efforts in family participation and engagement in annual events and activities
• Manage and develop the school's community partnerships
• Organize and support PAVE alumni events
• Manage the K-8 Family Advisory Board

Marketing & Communications

• Build monthly content plans against a comprehensive communications calendar that supports communications efforts to both internal and external audiences, including, staff, families, and partners
• Manage and maintain the school's brand identity, including:
  • A suite of templates and branded materials for use by PAVE staff
  • Concept design and production of all collateral material for Staff and Student Recruitment
• Support administration of the PAVE RH website to ensure consistent messaging and current content

Development

• Support relationships and communications with donors
• Maintain an accurate and effective development database
• Oversee the design and development of marketing materials to fuel the development campaign(s)
• Process donations, ensuring proper fund coding, accurate gift documentation, and timely gift entry.
• Prepare acknowledgment letters, and segmenting letters as needed for personalization and additional stewardship.
• Execute and support a variety of donor strategies, engagement, stewardship, and fundraising processes.
• Identify and serve as the point person for relevant grant applications.

Family-Facing School Operations

• Manage all K-8 family communication efforts, including social media strategy and distribution of pertinent information through TalkingPoints
• Lead in the creation and distribution of the school's monthly family newsletter (PAVE Press)
• Work to ensure compliance around all student data and files and help coordinate and communicate the initiatives of the Operations Team at large
• Regular participation in school duties, including main office front desk coverage and arrival and dismissal
• Plan and execute PAVE family-focused events, including:
  • Graduation
  • Back-to-School Night
  • Student Culture Events
  • Report Card Days/Nights
  • Enrollment Events
  • Family Nights
  • School Picture Day
  • Student health initiatives – vision, immunization, dental
• Provide translation support for parent meetings, phone calls, and conferences

What You'll Bring to the Team

• A strong commitment to PAVE's mission and vision
• Believe families are essential to scholars' academic success and therefore actively leverages family's perspectives in their day-to-day work
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills
• Excellent organizational and project management skills
• Strong digital literacy, including Microsoft Office, Word, PowerPoint and Excel, various social media platforms, and graphic design platforms
• Flexibility of schedule due to meetings and events throughout the day, evenings and weekends
• Spanish language skills are strongly preferred
• Experience with event planning and execution, including comfort with planning and communicating the relevant logistics
• Strong entrepreneurial spirit with the ability to establish protocols and processes and execute concurrent, deadline-driven projects from beginning to end;
• A thorough and organized approach to the work
• A relentless work ethic, a high degree of patience, and grit to push through difficult challenges
• Strong judgment and decision making
• Bachelor's Degree strongly preferred

Our Core Values

More than a School: At PAVE, we are more than a school, we are a family. Staff members, families and community organizations work as partners to create a warm, safe and joyful learning environment. Here, students will persevere through any obstacle and blossom into the best version of themselves.

No Limits. At PAVE, the possibilities are endless, and we will not settle for less than our best. PAVE classrooms focus deeply on the academic growth and achievement of our students, as well as their social and emotional development. We maintain high expectations for our students and for ourselves and commit to providing the care, coaching, and communication needed for students and staff to learn, grow, and shine.

Bright Starts. Vibrant Futures. At PAVE, our classrooms are bright in aesthetic and vibrant with learning. Our teachers and students engage with one another enthusiastically and embrace the challenge and rigor of the work with joy. Fun is not an add on; it is an essential component of the PAVE experience. We believe that a life and love of learning starts here.

Lift every Voice. At PAVE, every voice matters. We value diverse perspectives and insights within our community. We encourage our students to engage with one another and express themselves with both power and respect. As our students prepare to enter the world beyond PAVE, it is our responsibility to ensure that our students are equipped with excellent character and are empowered to use their voice effectively to advocate for themselves and others.

Love is Justice: At PAVE, we acknowledge that systemic racism and bias have had their grips on our community for far too long. We create inclusive and equitable spaces where everyone belongs, everyone matters, and everyone is loved. 'Hate cannot drive out Hate. Only Love can do that' (King, 1963). We endeavor to bring out the best in our students and each other by, with, and through love. This, we believe, is justice in action.

Non-Discrimination Statement

PAVE Schools, Inc. does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.