Author: ieaesp

4 reasons to put Education Support Professionals at the center of your school’s family engagement strategy

For ten years, I had the privilege to have a choice to take off work and stay home to help raise my three children.

During those years, I was active in their elementary school… volunteering to pop popcorn, help with school events, and serve on the school’s parent advisory committee.

When I went back to work, I was nervous. I knew I wouldn’t be around as much, and I knew I wouldn’t have time to casually check in and see how the kids were doing. So, I reached out to the person I knew best at the school… the daytime custodian, Darlene. Darlene and I had cleaned up together after a couple of events and forged a friendship over spider plant cuttings. 

I’ll never forget what I said to her: 

Me: “Darlene, you gotta keep an eye on my kids.”
Darlene: “I will. Especially Benjamin. You’ve got your hands full with that one.”

Her response caught me off guard, but she was right. That’s because Darlene knew Benjamin even better than many of his teachers.  She saw Benjamin outside of the classroom, in more informal settings, running late in the hallway, cutting up in the lunchroom, and playing by himself at recess. Darlene knew that Benjamin needed just a bit of extra attention and that extra set of eyes.

Educational Support Professionals, or ESPs, like Darlene play an essential role in the day-to-day work of schools. ESPs are the nurses, food service employees, custodians, paraeducators, bus drivers, secretaries, and security staff, who work to keep kids safe, fed, and ready to learn.

All of these things are critically important. Yet, we often tend to overlook another important function of ESPs: the unique role they play in welcoming, building trust and engaging families.

Here are four reasons why you should focus on supporting your front-line support staff —

#1ESPs are often the first members of the school staff that parents meet.
The secretary who helps with enrollment, the bus driver who contacts parents with the location of the bus stop, the nurse calling for vaccination forms. Each of these interactions form the first impressions families have of your school or district. When ESPs are welcoming and respectful, it sets the tone for a family’s entire school experience.

#2ESPs often interact more with parents.ESPs are the ones who see your parents the most… in the pick-up line, in the lunchroom, walking down the hallway. This creates more opportunities to get to know those parents and each one of these opportunities helps build strong relationships. Those relationships help parents feel a part of the school and that can help with engagement.

#3ESPs are often more approachable.
Conversations with teachers and principals can be intimidating for parents. Think about a conference at a big table or a formal meeting in front of a desk. Parents often view teachers and principals as authority figures. On the other hand, interactions between ESPs and parents tend to be more casual and friendly. It’s easier for ESPs to get to know families and easier for families to get comfortable enough to share information with ESPs. 

And that brings me to my final point…

#4ESPs can serve as powerful communication highways.
ESPs know the families in your school. They know their struggles, their successes, and their worries. ESPs can help you better understand what’s going on in the lives of your families and work with you if you need to wrap supports around students. ESPs also know how your school works. They know your acronyms, your big words, and your processes. They can answer questions and welcome families into the learning in an approachable, non-judgement way. Above all, ESPs have the relationships to help your staff and parents understand each other and that’s where meaningful family engagement happens.

These days, my son Benjamin is in college and doing quite well. Truthfully, I have trouble remembering all of Benjamin’s teachers, but I will never forget Darlene. For me, Darlene was more than an educational support professional, she was my support professional. It may not have been part of her “official ESP job description,” but knowing she was there, in the building, every day…keeping an eye on things…made all the difference for this nervous mommy.

If you’re an ESP, or you’re looking for ways to empower your ESPs and improve family engagement this year, don’t miss my sessions at the NEA ESP Conference March 19-21. For more ideas about how to build trust with and engage families, visit my website and download my free Playbook for Clear, Effective & Meaningful School Communication

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Patricia Weinzapfel

Author, Educator, Journalist & K12 Communications Expert

Do you have federal student loans?
Do have federal Parent PLUS loans?
Do you have family or friends burdened with student loan debt?

If you answered, “Yes!” to any of the above then Degrees Not Debt is for you!  The National Education Association recognizes the burden student loans debt is putting on public educators and developed a campaign called “Degrees Not Debt.” This campaign is intended to inform student loan borrowers of their rights and options in the repayment process.  Many borrowers are unaware of their eligibility for programs that can make their monthly payment affordable and provide loan forgiveness.

What is Degrees Not Debt and how does it work?

This really works. I currently have two of my kids university expenses and in the fall my third child will be added to the loan forgiveness process!! As an ESP on a limited income this is one of the biggest financial benefits I have received while working in public education.

Jill Scarcelli IEA ESP Council Chair

• Committee and board subcommittee appointment procedures
• Electronic applications are available on the IEA website until April 1.
• All applicants will be required to enter their Members Only login information.
• Any questions, please direct them to Courtney Gillespie

SCORE Grants: The IEA Foundation recently awarded 12 SCORE grants totaling $10,455 to IEA members. See the list of funded projects. A list of recipients by region can be found here. The next application deadline is July 15, 2021. All IEA members are encouraged to apply! Visit https://ieanea.org/score/ for more info.

2021 Virtual NEA Representative Assembly

*The TENTATIVE dates for the NEA RA this year are June 30 – July 3. We will keep you posted of any date change.

ESPs, this is your call to have your voice heard. Typically only about 4% of delegates who attend the NEA RA are Education Support Professionals. This needs to change!! We need you and your voice. Over 8,000 NEA members are expected to attend virtually the next Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly from June 30-July 3. While there, RA delegates will propose, debate, and take action on new business items for the Association and other association policies, and vote by secret ballot on proposed amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws. Executive officers, Executive Committee members, and at-large members of the NEA Board of Directors will be elected. More information available at ra.nea.org.

*NEA President Becky Pringle released a memo explaining the decision to hold the 2021 NEA RA virtually. The memo can be read here.

*As the delegate process for the NEA RA will begin soon, please remember the importance of sending as many delegates as possible so the IEA voice is heard at the NEA RA. 

YOUR WORK  Responding to the CDC Guidance on Safe In-Person Learning. In February, the CDC released an operational strategy guide for the safe delivery of in-person instruction at K-12 schools. The guidance calls for “layering” five mitigation strategies that are essential to safe delivery of in-person instruction. To make this guidance possible, our schools will need the resources to implement them. That is why we are asking Congress to step up and provide the funding that our students, educators, and families need. Add Your Voice

YOUR CAREER  New Podcast Episode: Educating Students With Special Needs in a Pandemi‪c‬ April Burch is a paraprofessional currently working in clerical services and a co-founder of Cooking Autism, a nonprofit that helps educators offer life skills programs to children with special needs. As a mother to two sons with special needs herself, she has had the experience of educating both students and children with special needs during the pandemic. She joined the SchoolMe podcast to share her story. Listen Here

HAPPY #READACROSSAMERICA DAY! When we read books that have characters of all races, genders, and backgrounds, students discover their own voices and learn from the voices of others. SEE HOW WE’RE CELEBRATING

Registration for the 2021 NEA ESP National Conference is now open!

The NEA ESP National Conference is the premier professional development opportunity for education support professionals across the nation. The 2021 conference will be held virtually March 19-21, with a special ESP of the Year celebration on Friday, March 26. Get ready to connect, collaborate, and engage in some of the most important topics affecting our school communities today, from racial and social justice, to trauma, social and emotional learning, leadership, organizing, and more! Check out the conference schedule, featured speakers, and workshop sessions at nea.org/espconference.

Registration for conference is open from February 15-26, and is FREE of charge to NEA members. Space is limited, so spread the word and reserve your spot today!

Register now >