Preschool CPIS and PIRS/PIRT
FAMILY SERVICES PROGRAM
Community Parent Involvement Specialist (CPIS)
The Community Parent Involvement Specialist (CPIS) enhances and supports family involvement in the Preschool program. Through classroom activities, community resources, parent contact, support groups, and family activities, the CPIS strives to make each family’s Preschool experience a positive and rewarding one. There is a need to convey to the community the importance of high quality Preschool as the foundation of lifelong learning. Recruiting community resource businesses and volunteers helps bring community members into our school and opens awareness about our high quality program. Volunteers provide positive role models for our students. These volunteers are from various organizations within our community. The CPIS addresses parental concerns by collaborating with staff, finding out facts, leading informative meetings, and arranging applicable workshops for families. Guest speakers are invited to provide information and updates for upcoming events. The CPIS chairs the Northfield Early Childhood Advisory Council (NECAC), where both the school community, parents, board members, and local community are involved in addressing the needs of the students and the Preschool program. NECAC reviews and recommends improvements to the Preschool program. Preschool parents are also recipients of the yearly Preschool survey, the results of which are evaluated and discussed by the NECAC. The CPIS also chairs the Parent Involvement Committee. Parent/family activities are planned and implemented to enhance the school – home relationship. The CPIS also heads the Preschool Transition Team, made up of Preschool Teachers, Directors, Master Teacher, Kindergarten Teachers, parents, and community members. The CPIS assists in the early enrollment of new registrants and assists in the Preschool orientation workshops to help families and children get acquainted with their new school environment.
Mrs. Maureen Vaccaro
Community Parent Involvement Specialist
609.407.4005
mvaccaro@ncs-nj.org
Preschool CPIS and PIRS/PIRT
The PIRS is a coach who provides support to teachers in their implementation of the Pyramid Model for Promoting Social and Emotional Competence in Young Children. The primary role of the PIRS is to provide coaching for the teacher to enhance his/her use of the Pyramid Model practices in the classroom. As needed, the PIRS consults with a team of experts, the Preschool Intervention and Referral Team also referred to as the PIRT, to provide strategies and possible interventions for the teachers to implement in the classroom to promote the success of all young children. The PIRT is supervised by the school district preschool administrator and may include preschool teachers, special education teachers, behavior specialists, psychologists, learning disabilities teacher-consultants, school social workers, speech and language pathologists or other specialists.