MAEC expands family engagement efforts with the new Consortium for Engaging Families Across Maine (CEFAM)
MAEC is excited to announce that it was recently awarded the Statewide Family Engagement Center (SFEC) grant for Maine by the U.S. Department of Education. The Consortium for Engaging Families Across Maine (CEFAM) enables MAEC to build lasting ties and relationships with Maine’s education leaders, communities, and families striving for equity for all children and students. The new program expands MAEC’s 30+ year history in high impact, culturally responsive family engagement and its current work with families, schools, and districts as the Statewide Family Engagement Center for Pennsylvania and Maryland, the Collaborative Action for Family Engagement (CAFE).
“It is a testament to MAEC’s approach and leadership as a champion of family engagement and education equity that we have been chosen to expand our work as a Statewide Family Engagement Center,” shares Susan Shaffer, President of MAEC.
CEFAM will assist families to leverage evidence-based, high-impact, and culturally responsive programs and resources that support the development and well-being of each child. Our efforts will include coordinating technical assistance and training services to reach educators, families, community-based members, and students through program partners such as Maine Children’s Trust, which implements the Parents as Teachers home visiting model to facilitate trust, relationship-building, and increase school readiness; and Parent Powered, whose Ready4K evidence-based program delivers family engagement curriculum via text messages.
Along with MAEC’s family engagement leadership in Maine, MAEC will continue its state family engagement center in Maryland and Pennsylvania. In 2022, CAFE partnered with the Pennsylvania Family Involvement Conference to provide the Reunited: Families, Schools, and Communities Making it Work Together virtual workshop series. The series, designed with input from MD and PA families, schools, and communities provided a platform for resources and discourse among these key stakeholders. During the SY 2020-21 academic school year, CAFE collaborated with the Maryland State Department of Education’s (MSDE) Director of Community schools to provide technical assistance and training to community school coordinators throughout the state. Training was focused on strengthening community school coordinator’s efforts to build equitable collaborations between families, schools, and communities. Additionally, we hosted a community of practice on how equitable family engagement would be implemented into their current work.
We invite you to consider how MAEC, CEFAM, and CAFE can support your community’s pursuit of educational equity. Please visit our website to learn more about the resources and services that can support you in your community’s equity efforts.
