Principal Responsibilities

The principal of any Child-Parent Center program is the same as the principal of the elementary school that is housing the preschool or kindergarten–3rd grade program. In addition to the specific district requirements, principals of CPC P-3 programs also have the following responsibilities:

  • Ensure that all CPC P-3 staff are hired according to program requirements by the beginning of the school year.
  • Ensure that all CPC P-3 requirements are met for all elements.
  • Develop and implement a sustainability plan identifying financial sources to ensure the continuation of CPC P-3 programming.
  • Provide a welcoming school environment to develop a school-family-community partnership according to CPC P-3 goals.

The principal acts as program champion and director of preschool–3rd grade facilitation.

“The CPC P-3 program prepares our children to be ready for success at the early grades. It increases parent involvement in the educational process by providing meetings and training sessions for them. It prepares parents for success and better understanding of the stages of their children’s development and needs. In addition, the program helps teachers work wisely with their students and have fun teaching and learning with the children. It helps teachers monitor and record their students’ growth and development on different skills, and it mandates differentiation in instruction to all students according to their various abilities and levels.”

– Okab Taleb Hassan, Principal
   Chicago Public Schools

Interview with Yeu Vang

Principal, St. Paul Public Schools

Q: Can CPC P-3 be the only intervention in a school? How does your school balance and integrate other initiatives with CPC?

A: The CPC P-3 program can align well with all the interventions that are found in the school. Many of the CPC supports for families are already defined in our school’s Family Engagement Plan as well as the Parent Involvement element in our Schoolwide Comprehensive Improvement Plan (SCIP).

We maximize time, effort, and resources among staff, students, and families by combining CPC and school-wide events when they have a common focus or goal around family involvement. We work to avoid competition among partnerships and isolate events only when necessary due to capacity and scheduling issues.