Family Engagement

At BDEA, families are essential partners in student success. We welcome parents, guardians, mentors, and adult advocates to stay connected and engaged throughout the school year. All school materials are sent home in your student's home language, and translation services are available at all meetings and events in Spanish, Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean, Kannada, Kiswahili, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, and Gujarati.

Stay Connected Please contact Family Liaison Richelle Villalona to learn more about how BDEA supports our families or to request a meeting at any time.

Boston Day and Evening Academy engages young adults to build a vision for their future through supportive relationships and meaningful competency-based learning experiences. BDEA is a Horace Mann Charter school, so BDEA adopts the district level, Boston Public School policy. In addition, BDEA has the following school-level family engagement policy. Given the nature of BDEA students, family is defined a bit broader (see below).  

Purpose: This policy establishes the framework and responsibilities for the implementation of strategies to increase the level of effective, authentic family and community engagement at BDEA. 

BDEA - includes all departments and components of BDEA that have a role in accomplishing the goals of this policy. 

Parents or families - give the nature of our school, family is extended to include student mentors and adult advocates in the student's life. In some cases, when strong family voice is required, BDEA also uses our larger external community representatives to help inform decision making. This includes board meetings specifically. These 'family representatives' reflect the student population in race, gender and neighborhood of residence.

Community - this term includes but is not limited to community-based, faith institutions, non-profit organizations and community members that may contribute to our participate as stakeholders in the implementation of policy. 

Policy Standards:

• BDEA Board of Trustees serves as BEA's governing board. Membership reflects BDEA student demographic and thus places a crucial role in representing the voice of BDEA families that cannot attend regular family engagement meetings. 

• BDEA's Board of Trustee affirms the engagement of families, students and community as a core belief and expectation for BDEA

Family Meetings: March, where families have scheduled meetings with students and their BDEA advisor to set goals for the year and review academic progress, discuss social emotional needs. 

Family Volunteer or Active Engagement Opportunities: School Symposium (Dec): presentation of student work 4. In January, BDEA's family coordinator and Head of School conduct the annual Title 1 meeting that allows parents to engage in the following information: 

a. Understand status and implications of BDEA's DESE report card 

b. Discuss where and how the school can improve its whole school rating 

c. Discuss BDEA programming elements and goals for each program and progress on the goals (Title 1 programming is whole school) Academics, Student Support, Post Graduate Planning 

d. Engage in conversation on how parents, advocates, families can support BDEA in the improvement of its educational delivery. 

e. Engage in conversation on how parents, advocates and families can support BDEA students achieve success. 

f. Engage in conversation on how to improve successful school and family interactions 

During family meetings, translation services are provided by BDEA staff in the following languages: Spanish, Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean, Kannada, Kiswahili, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi and Gujarati. All materials being sent home, are sent in the student's home language. These same services are also provided for IEP and EL meetings. 

Each year an annual evaluation of BDEA programming is administered to BDEA families through both the BPS administered family climate survey and BDEA's own program evaluation survey. This survey is sent to all families via mail, as well as administered during the Spring family meetings. BDEA also holds periodic focus groups for feedback on specific topics throughout the school year. Topics include, but are not limited to improving BDEA programming, improving family engagement, improving student attendance, participating in BDEA's strategic planning (every 3 years), participate in DESE charter school review (every 2-3 years), BDEA advisors connect with families at least twice a trimester regarding student academic progress and attendance. Families are invited to join BDEA staff for family conferences at any time in the school year. Often families either ask for those meetings, or BDEA staff set them up if there are concerns with student behavior, attendance or academic performance 

BDEA has developed a Home-School Parent Compact [in accordance with Title I, Part Al], to identify the responsibilities of school staff, parents, families, and students to ensure the academic achievement of all students. Because of BDEA unique student population as an alternative school, BDEA's board serves as the organized School Parent Council. At times parents may serve on this board if they are interested. However, the composition of BDEA's board of trustee is specifically structured to reflect BDEA's student demographic and those provides voice for these stakeholders. During these board of trustee meetings, the head of school will share school data, progress, annual goals and budget plans. BDEA's Instructional Leadership Team is BEA's decision making body that is reflected of BDEA departments and serves as the primary decision-making body for the school. 

When parental input is needed, BDEA uses multiple methods to notify families including mailings, emails and phone calls. BDEA will utilize BPS's comprehensive and coordinated program of training, peer-to-peer sessions, technical assistance and other supports to build the capacity of parents, community partners, and school staff in planning and implementing effective parent engagement strategies to improve student and school performance. V. Compliance For this policy, the Head of School will continue to hold yearly Title 1 meetings to get feedback on this policy from all stakeholders, specifically families. These meetings will be an opportunity to assess the implementation of this policy. BDEA will develop, with the input of parents/families and community members, an annual assessment tool at both the school level and the system level to measure the effectiveness of this policy and the degree to which annual goals have been met. 

The BDEA Family Council meets on an ongoing basis. This group provides a chance for parents, guardians and family members to learn more about Boston Day and Evening Academy, meet staff and teachers, relax and connect, and give input to programming and decision-making. BDEA works closely with the Family Council to manage and strengthen Title I funded-programming.

Meeting & Event Dates for the 2025-26 School Year

• Friday, October 10 2025 – by Zoom, 6-7pm

• Friday, November 28 2025 – by Zoom, 6-7pm – This is a Title I Meeting

• Friday, January 30 2026 – by Zoom, 6-7pm

• Saturday, February 28 2026  – Skating at Chez Vous (in Person, 10am-12pm), 11 Rhoades St, Dorchester Center, MA

• Saturday, March 28 – BDEA Bowl Boston (in Person, 12pm-2pm), 820 Morrissey Blvd, Dorchester, MA

• Wednesday, April 29th – Coffee Social: Meet our School Counseling Team (in Person, 9-10:30am), @ BDEA 20 Kearsarge Avenue in Roxbury

• Monday, May 11th – Coffee Social: “Moms and Muffins” (in Person, 9-10:30am), @ BDEA 20 Kearsarge Avenue in Roxbury

• Monday, June 22nd – Coffee Social: “Dads and Donuts” (in Person, 9-10:30am), @ BDEA 20 Kearsarge Avenue in Roxbury

Family Conferences Each year in October and February, families are invited to meet with their student and their BDEA advisor to review academic progress, set goals, and discuss social and emotional wellbeing. Families can also request a conference at any time throughout the year. BDEA advisors connect with families at least twice per trimester regarding attendance and academic progress.

Title I Annual Meeting Each November, BDEA holds its annual Title I meeting for families. This is an opportunity to review BDEA's DESE report card, learn about school programming and goals, and share input on how to improve the school and support student success.

School Symposium Each December, families are invited to attend the School Symposium, a showcase of student work and learning from across the school year.

Each year, BDEA asks families to complete a survey to evaluate school programming and family engagement. This is called the Youth Truth Survey and is sent each year in the Spring. 

We have a Family Liaison who assists families with resources not only in school but also within the community. Here are a few resources families can access. Please reach out to the Family Liaison Richelle Villanova at rvillalona@bostonpublicschools.org for further in or out of school resources.

Community Resources

ABCD Fuel Assistance

Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) Offices

Mass Coalition for the Homeless

BPS Re-Engagement Center

BPS Welcome Services / Registration

In School Resources

HISET/GED Information

Whittier Street School Based Clinic

Advisory

BPS School Calendar linked here.