Lindy Zeledon has worked for New Brunswick Public Schools in New Jersey for 15 years – and since the beginning, she’s been an advocate for parents and families in the district. After serving as a community agent and translator for more than 10 years, she decided to pitch a new idea: a family and community engagement team with family engagement liaisons spread across the district.
Lindy’s passion, and the support of her district’s leadership, shows the importance of the “L” in REAL Family Engagement – leadership. Today, Lindy is the coordinator for a team of 11 public-facing family engagement professionals who serve New Brunswick’s nearly 10,000 students and 14 schools. “They are the spackle of their buildings,” says Lindy – problem solvers who serve parents and help the other educators and professionals focus on their roles serving kids and the community.
“Our goal is to create a cohesive approach to family engagement,” Lindy says, “And I’m so fortunate to have a superintendent who understands the importance of that.”
Given the deep experience with family engagement Lindy brings, she was excited to see the Flamboyan table at last year’s Institute for Educational Leadership National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference, held in June 2023. Seeing information about the Five Roles and connecting with Flamboyan staff was a lightbulb moment for the lifelong community advocate. “This was everything I’ve been saying to parents for years, in my own way,” she shared. “It feels attainable for parents to play those roles, even parents without much educational experience of their own.”
Lindy’s own story gives her powerful motivation and an important lens for serving the students and families of New Brunswick. She’s the last of seven siblings, and the first to graduate from college. Lindy did not feel engaged in high school, and she dropped out briefly before returning to finish her high school degree and attend college. New Brunswick Public Schools serve students that are more than 90 percent Latino, and some families don’t have experience interacting with the U.S. school system. Lindy says the role of the community and family engagement team is to build confidence, connect families to resources, and help them understand that they play an irreplaceable role in their child’s education.
After meeting the Flamboyan team at the IEL conference, Lindy advocated to bring Flamboyan’s training to the team of liaisons this school year. The team attended Flamboyan’s Bias and Mindset and Building Strong Relationships training. But they brought their own deep wisdom and creativity too – such as the liaison who brings books and information to the local laundromat, so that families can get support and learn about resources during their downtime between loads.
Lindy and her team are eager for everyone in New Brunswick Public Schools to understand REAL Family Engagement, as part of a strategic vision by New Brunswick superintendent Dr. Aubrey A. Johnson to strengthen family partnership. New Brunswick leadership understands that effective family engagement isn’t the role of one person in the school. Instead, it happens when all educators and staff build authentic relationships with families. The district is getting community partners are onboard too – the Family and Community Engagement team has shared about the Five Roles and REAL Family Engagement with everyone they can, operating from the strong belief that when families are partners, children are better able to learn and succeed.
“Everyone needs to be speaking this language – everyone needs to drink the Flamboyan Kool-Aid,” said Lindy. I want Flamboyan to be a staple in our community. I’m excited for all the great work we can do.”