In 2001, the Utah Family Center serviced 4,000 families directly and 29,000 families indirectly. The staff conducted home visits, parenting and educational workshops, multilingual lending libraries, pre-kindergarten developmental information sessions, and other activities. To reach so many families, the Utah Family Center works closely with six satellite centers, located strategically in both urban and rural areas throughout Utah.
The main Utah Family Center in Salt Lake City and the satellite centers ground their work in the NNPS research-based approach. According to a report by Utah leaders, “All efforts have been made to use the Epstein model to organize the administrative hub activities as well as the local satellite centers. Maintaining a parallel structure between the state and local centers is key to the Center’s successes in responding to the needs of families and communities.”
At the main Utah Family Center, an executive committee of leaders from the state office of education, the state PTA, state education associations, the health department, the business community, and the Utah Family Center steers the direction of the statewide school, family, and community partnership program.
Similarly, each satellite center has a leadership team that brings together local counterparts such as principals or superintendents, PTA presidents, ethnic minority leaders, Head Start directors, Title I staff, faith-based organizations, health department officials, and other community and business leaders. The executive committee and the satellite center leadership teams have the same mission of uniting stakeholders to help schools and families develop partnership programs that support goals for students.
Strong two-way communication techniques have played a major role in ensuring that all of the geographically dispersed centers effectively implement practices aligned with the goals of the Utah Family Center. The leaders in the satellite centers and the administrative hub communicate regularly via e-mail, phone, and bimonthly mailings. The teams participate in conference calls five times a year to exchange information, set goals, and report progress. Notably, the Utah Family Center directors visit each satellite center once or twice a year—even traveling into canyons to visit the satellite center on the Navajo Reservation in Monument Valley, San Juan County.
Utah’s successful facilitation also depends on sound training and evaluation. At the beginning of each school year, the staff of all satellite teams and the administrative hub convene to gather inspiration and to focus on achieving the coming year’s goals. At mid-year, they assemble again to evaluate progress. Training programs, team guides, and other materials support sustainable program development.
Utah’s leaders continually strengthen their statewide partnership program, from rural canyons to urban centers, by committing to a research-based approach and by consistently using effective facilitation strategies to build leadership at all levels.
The Utah Family Center is a collaborative effort of the Utah PTA and the Utah State Office of Education, and is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to establish Parent Information Resource Centers (PIRCs). For more information about the Utah Family Center, contact Joyce Muhlestein at 801-266-6166.
In Type 2 #12, Spring 2002, p.9