Family & Community Engagement Network

What is Ohio’s Family and Community Engagement Network?

The Ohio Family and Community Engagement (FCE) Network is a group of dedicated education professionals from across Ohio, comprised of representatives from each of Ohio’s regions along with organizations whose work supports families of diverse learners, including students with disabilities. The network collaboratively researches, develops, and supports the implementation of tools and strategies for regional teams and school districts to effectively engage and empower families and communities. Through the Network’s activities to support strong family-school partnerships, family and community needs and strengths are recognized and prioritized at every level, resulting in improved student and family outcomes and better school climates. 

As leaders of this Network, the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center provides opportunities for these family engagement professionals to come together several times a year to learn and grow in their family engagement practice at the regional/organization level. These professionals provide many important functions for families and schools in each Ohio region, such as coaching districts on how to work well with families and providing families with information and tools to advocate for their children. Thus, the Network is an important group of people who help share the work of this Center across Ohio.

Annual “Voices from the Field” Reports

Each year, Ohio’s Statewide Family Engagement Center produces a report to highlight work being done by educational consultants in each of Ohio’s 16 State Support Team offices to support successful partnerships between families and schools. This report contains examples of what Ohio’s regions are doing directly for families, for schools, for districts, and for their own regional offices in the area of family engagement in education. Click the image or button below to view this year’s report, as well as past issues.

Resources Created by the Ohio FCE Network

Just Schools, Building, Equitable, Collaborations with Families and Communities, Ann M. Ishimaru, Multicultural Education Series

Discussion Guide for Book: Just Schools by Ann M. Ishimaru

Use this Discussion Guide, prepared by Ohio's Family and Community Engagement Network, to guide your school, district, or other group's ...
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Ohio's Whole Child Framework

Family Engagement Toolkit for Ohio’s Whole Child Framework

"Ohio’s Whole Child Framework places the whole child at the center, with district, school, family and community supporting the needs ...
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Envelopes

Adding Family-Friendly Content to Your School’s Reading Improvement and Monitoring Plan (RIMP) Communications

Ohio Districts are now required to include in their Reading Improvement and Monitoring Plan (RIMP) letters/communications to families specific aspects ...
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Virtual Course: Building Partnerships through Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

Virtual Course: Building Partnerships through Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

This short, free, virtual course was created by family engagement specialists at the Ohio Department of Education's State Support Team ...
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Walk-Through Toolkit for Schools: What does it mean to be a "Welcoming School"?

Walk-Through Toolkit for Schools: What does it mean to be a “Welcoming School”?

This toolkit covers four components of a welcoming school atmosphere. By assessing a school's atmosphere in these critical areas, schools ...
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back to school with a stack of books

Option A, B, or C? A Back to School Planning Tool for Families

The “Back to School Planning Tool” gives your family an organized space to write in your plans for supporting your ...
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sample chart

Encouraging Positive Behaviors at Home – A Chart for Families

By downloading and filling out a blank Positive Behavior Chart, families can create their own, personalized set of expectations for ...
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First slide of family engagement within trauma informed elementary schools presentation

Family Engagement within Trauma-Informed Schools: Toolkits for Elementary School Staff

This toolkit was designed for a facilitator to present to Elementary School staff (leaders, teachers, other staff) seeking to offer ...
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Coming soon - new website look!

Beginning on Friday 1/13/23, you will notice a new look and format for our website! All of the same resources will still be available, just organized slightly differently. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience that this causes. We will do our best to make sure the transition to the new format goes as smoothly as possible. Note: The website will be down for 1 or more hours on Friday morning.