The COVID19 Resources Available by Clicking Here

Amplifying Parents as Partners

to

Achieve Equitable Education, Policies & Practices

The Challenge

In today’s educational system, diverse learners with social/emotional needs, especially those impacted by trauma from immigration, incarceration and violence, typically do not have access to equitable educational outcomes.

Many educators and administrators are not proficient in understanding, supporting, and engaging families-particularly those traditionally left behind.

Although many schools and districts have worked to improve family-school relationships, many parents feel they do not have the ability, expertise, or authority to advocate for equitable educational outcomes for their children, or to question practices and policies.

INFORM

COLLABORATE

SUPPORT

INFLUENCE

INSPIRE

Student-centered and parent-driven, CPLAN seeks to transcend divisions:

We hold district, charter, parochial, and Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) systems accountable to ensure equitable educational outcomes.

The Solution

CPLAN strives to create thriving self-reliant parents in their advocacy for their children through training, coaching and community building.

CPLAN believes that in order to create necessary change in the education system in a meaningful and sustainable way it requires a diverse coalition with a common goal, shared values, effective communication, and strong backbone organization between parents, community members, school staff and the support from the department of education.

The Work

CPLAN is the only organization led by parents of color using lived experience to work across sectors. The work CPLAN does with Black, Indigenous and people of color helps them recognize and use their power, build relationships, develop public speaking and presentation skills to understand larger systems’ policies, practices, and budgets.

Inform

CPLAN is working to change this by bridging gaps to shift how teachers, policymakers and administrators engage students and families. CPLAN creates opportunities for parents to step into their power, to put all students on a path toward lifetime success.

Inspire

CPLAN seeks to inspire progress toward better solutions, and inform stakeholders through training and information sharing, so they can influence others to create positive change.

The Work

Collaboration

CPLAN’s model is parent & educators as partners. This is built upon a foundation of active leadership roles for parents, and ensures that all members have a shared voice in decision making.

Support

CPLAN members attend retreats and events regularly to support each other, and exchange wisdom and resources. They also create affinity groups- self-directed efforts incubated by CPLAN to develop parent voice and leadership around issues like social and emotional learning.

Announcements

Application

Our Response to COVID-19

CPLAN is dedicated to enriching the lives of community members in underserved, communities of color. As a response to COVID-19, we worked extra hard in order to meet the essential needs of families. We believe in a whole-child educational experience. In order for our children to achieve self-actualization we must first ensure we meet their psychological, social, health and safety needs.

As a response to COVID-19 where families are experiencing housing, financial and food insecurities we have bridged the gap between families and resources available to them for food access, financial assistance, mental health hotlines and educational support. There are a variety of resources available for families, and we’re happy to have centralized them by category for your convenience. We hope that you find them helpful!

Bodega Project

The CPLAN Bodega Project was established to provide access to culturally responsive food to Boston & Brockton's diverse communities while also supporting small local businesses. The fund offered over 400+ residents in need of food assistance with a food voucher from a local participating Bodega (grocery store) in their neighborhood. Selected families received a CPLAN food voucher to purchase food and/or other essential items such as diapers, feminine hygiene products, medicine, etc.

This fund allowed families to shop with dignity in a local, familiar grocery store for fresh foods to prepare full meals.