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Dist. 15 Rolls Out Parent Mentor ProgramFree Access


This year, Palatine Elementary School Dist. 15 received a grant that brings parent mentors into classrooms, spending 100 hours supporting students and staff.

Parent mentors recently completed the training required and have begun assisting classrooms.

District officials said research from the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education notes that, “no matter their income or background, students with involved parents are more likely to have higher grades and test scores, attend school regularly, have better social skills, show improved behavior, and adapt well to school.”

Dist. 15, in partnership with the Partners for Our Communities (POC) of Palatine, sought out and secured grant funding to bring the Parent Mentor Program to two schools, Jane Addams and Virginia Lake, for the 2021-22 school year.

Parents participating in the parent mentor program have committed to spending 100 hours of time in the classrooms. They have been assigned to one classroom (that is not their child’s classroom) where they will assist teachers, interact with students, and support instruction Monday through Thursday.

Their work is supervised by parent liaisons who serve as program coordinators and are already very familiar with school routines, expectations and procedures. 

On Fridays, the parent mentor team all come together at the POC for an opportunity to ask questions, share reflections, and receive professional development in relevant educational topics as well as leadership skills. After successfully fulfilling their 100-hour commitment, a recognition ceremony will be held and parents will receive a stipend of $1,000.

Renee Urbanski, assistant superintendent of multilingual programs, shared, “We are so excited to be able to bring this opportunity to our schools. Not only do our parent mentors support our staff, they support our students’ success in the classroom. We are thrilled to be able to offer this program at two of our D15 schools this year.”

“One of the goals of POC is to build leaders in the community,” POC Executive Director Kathy Millin said. “We are so hopeful that this program will allow us to offer more capable and passionate women the platform to build their leadership skills and help their children’s school, as well as build and strengthen their personal vocational goals.”

Sandra Lahoz, a retired Dist. 15 bilingual teacher, is serving as the director of the program and will be the liaison between Dist. 15 and POC in this joint effort.

 

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