Better together: LINC coordinators and KCPS FaCE liaisons join in goals for new school year
It’s not that they weren’t already good teammates.
LINC’s Caring Communities coordinators and the Family and Community Engagement (FaCE) Liaisons in the Kansas City Public Schools have naturally gravitated to their shared mission.
But same as with the Chiefs in summer training camp, it sure helps to build a game plan.
LINC coordinators and KCPS liaisons went to work at a July workshop in the KCPS Board of Education building, learning each other’s strengths and needs. And in those cases where the players were new, it was a chance to forge new partnerships.
“We want to build that bridge,” said KCPS Family and Community Engagement Manager Courtney Adams, “and make sure you have information to help make goals and achieve those goals.”
LINC Caring Communities Director Sean Akridge put the school teams to work on a Venn diagram, an exercise of overlapping circles, identifying the work in that space in the middle that the LINC coordinators and parent liaisons can do together.
Greater things happen, Akridge said, “when we come together to support families.”
Of course, they identified many opportunities to unite forces.
Melcher’s team can work together in door-to-door canvassing, meeting and recruiting new community partners among businesses, churches and homes.
Trailwoods planned to bring together the work of LINC’s community site council and the parents’ monthly meetings.
Wheatley saw opportunities to work together with each organization’s food pantries.
Those and other sites thought of many more ideas, including sharing information across newsletters, sharing family engagement plans, meeting together with principals, collaborating on back to school nights and more.
That’s what good teammates do.
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