CFEC Project Director Karen Utter and CFEC teacher partners from Jackson Creek Elementary School: Rocio Herron, Flo Jackson, and Liz Lawrence-Baez presented Engaging All Families When the School Building is Closed. This panel discussion focused on how teachers can engage both English and Spanish speaking families during COVID-19 school closures. Please view the panel discussion here https://vimeo.com/424141455  

CFEC regional family engagement liaisons Julia Beaty (Upper Central) and Lorilei Swanson (Upstate) also presented at the institute their presentation was entitled Building Best Practices for Engaging Families in Trauma-Responsive School Communities to Reduce the Impact of Trauma on All Students. The workshop addressed the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences and traumatic experiences on student learning and behavior with an emphasis on students from vulnerable families. In addition, the workshop focused on the importance of developing skills for all school staff to respond to trauma effectively. The liaisons emphasized that family engagement is essential in building resilience in youth to promote change and break the cycle of trauma. A best practices framework for working with families to promote equity and reduce the impact of trauma was presented. Participants gained hands on experience applying the framework principles to mitigate the impact of trauma impacted students. The information in this workshop was particularly relevant considering the impact of COVID-19 school closings as all students and families have experienced some level of trauma during this pandemic.