2500 S. State Street, RM D120 Salt Lake City, UT 84115 Web site: http://www.ufpn.org Hours: 9 am - 4 pm

Director: Ms. Barbara Smith Phone: 801-646-4608 Fax: 801-646-4225 Evaluator: Kate Kressley Evaluator affiliation: RMC Research Corporation

State PIRC Board:

Dr. Richard West, Utah State University, Center for the School of the Future
Carmen Snow, Utah PTA President
Karl Wilson, USOE Title I Director
Kimilee Campbell, President, Utah Education Association
Jenny Gibson, Utah Parent Center IDEA
Dr. John Covey, Franklin Covey Company, Dir. Family and Marriage Programs
Daphne Williams, Salt Lake Arts Academy Charter School
Meg Buonforte, Utah PAT
Chandra Fenwick, NAMI
Janna Forsgren, Utah Head Start Collaboration
Lloyd Frandsen, Utah State Univ. Ext
Sal Jansson, Salt Lake Community Action Program
Edith Mitko, State Office of Ethnic Affairs
Marla Raff, Utah County Health Department
Lynette Rasmussen, Utah Office of Child Care
Melanie Reese, Office of marriage and Families
Carl Boyington, Utah Association of Secondary School Principals (UASSP)
Luana Searle, Utah Association of Elementary School Principals
Kathy Hyde-Smith-Dir., Utah Commission on Volunteers
Jayne Wolfe, Family Support Center
Gloria Smith, Teacher
Abbie Vianes, Statewide Parent Trainer
Joyce Muhlestein, Partnership/Literacy Spec.

Special Advisory Committees:

Logan PIRC
Davis PIRC
Salt Lake PIRC
Vernal PIRC
Tooele PIRC
Washington PIRC
Monument Valley PIRC

The Utah Parent Information Center (UPIRC) will serve all families statewide, especially traditionally underserved populations with appropriate strategies to assist them in helping their children to succeed in school and assist schools/districts with implementation of quality parent involvement policies and strategies that will include all parents and give them accurate information so they will understand the state accountability system and make informed decisions around public school choice and supplemental education services (SES).

Goal I: Implement effective parent involvement policies, programs and activities that will improve children’s academic achievement/coordinate activities funded under Title I.

Goal 2: Develop and strengthen partnerships between parents (of children birth to age 18), teachers, principals, administrators, and school personnel in meeting the educational needs of children/develop and strengthen relationship between parent and school.

Goal 3: Further the developmental progress of children (0-18 years of age); buy assisting disadvantaged parents with special emphasis on low income, minority, and limited English proficient parents.

Goal 4: Provide a comprehensive approach to improve student learning through coordination and integration of Federal, state and local programs and expand collaboration of all identified Network Partners to maximize resources statewide.

Outcomes: Through collaborative links increase to 10 centers serving parents and parents applying skills learned at centers and from leadership and School, Family, Community Partnership training. Schools, districts and the state applying research-based parent involvement strategies, will implement quality parent involvement policies. UPIRC will expand its website, offering information and links on-line, with training and linking with partners. UPIRC will act as a major resource for quality parent and family involvement information for the state of Utah.

Early Childhood Model
UPIRC will lead the Parents as Teachers (PAT) effort through the UPAT program. Partnering with other programs also assisting parents of young children UPAT will train additional educators to serve more families. Kindergarten readiness will be supported through educator and parent training on the State Office of Education’s Kindergarten Readiness Guidelines and by promoting early reading strategies to parents through partnership with agencies and community organizations promoting early literacy.

How the Work Plan Meets the Needs of Parents
UPIRC centers in locations serving underserved parents are providing training to parents on essential knowledge to understand their rights and responsibilities and to help schools reach out to parents. Parent liaisons are placed in identified schools to focus parent involvement strategies toward academic achievement. The state PIRC works with districts and state to promote quality parent involvement policies and through partnership encourage all parents to be actively involved in their child’s education.

Unique Characteristics
UPIRC is unique in its location of centers in urban, rural, and frontier settings in strong partnership with local districts. These centers reach out to and serve low-income, minority, refugee, and non-English speaking parents that are passionate about their children’s education but not understanding the best way to help their children and how to work with the schools. UPIRC also supports parent liaisons in identified schools to increase parent involvement in those schools. UPIRC on the state level serves as resource to districts and the state on parent involvement and policy development.