Parents and families are the best advocates for their children. In the wake of the pandemic, students have significant educational needs and parents across the State have shown a clear desire to strengthen their voice on the local level. This free parent training program will be conducted via virtual sessions in summer 2022. The program will support NJ parents with the information and tools they need to advocate effectively at the local and state levels for the educational supports and changes their children need.
During the sessions, parents will learn more about:
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- education policy making processes in New Jersey,
- ways to access state and local data designed to help families understand the quality of education in NJ,
- best practices that schools are using to address learning loss in the wake of the pandemic,
- tools and resources to advocate for improvements in the quality of education at the local and or state levels,
- how to inform and empower other parents, and
- how to get involved at the community level and have your voice as a parent heard.
The details:
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- Sessions will take place once a week, for seven weeks, from July 13 through Aug 24th.
- The virtual sessions will be held on Wednesday evenings via Zoom. Each training session will run for about 1.5 hours, with content covered in the first hour and Q& A in the last half hour.
- The sessions will include short exercises between sessions to help parents apply what they are learning to their student(s)/districts and personalize the experience for participants.
Interested parents should complete an application by June 20. Applicants will be invited to meet with the JerseyCAN team virtually as part of the application process to share more about their interest in the program and their desire to become a parent champion for strong schools.
Participants selected for the training program must:
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- have a strong interest in and passion for improving education
- have a child, grandchild, or guardian in the New Jersey education system or in a private school (students in grades 6 and above are also eligible to apply.)
- attend all 7 sessions, but no less than 6 sessions
To apply for this summer parent program, please complete the application found here.
Individuals who complete this virtual program will be eligible for consideration for a new parent fellowship, which will launch in late summer. Parent fellows who are selected for this subsequent fellowship will receive additional learning opportunities, undertake projects to advance their advocacy priorities, and receive a small stipend for their efforts.
Please reach out to parents@jerseycan.org with any questions.