November 2025
Volume 2 Issue 8
Welcome to the November edition of the FACE to FACE Newsletter from the Office of Family and Community Empowerment!
November invites us to pause with gratitude and reflect on the meaningful partnerships that continue to grow across our schools and communities. As the school year moves forward, we celebrate the connections that bring families, educators, and community members together in support of every student’s success. In this issue, you’ll find stories that showcase the power of collaboration, highlights from recent family engagement events, and resources to help families stay informed and connected. Together, let’s carry the spirit of appreciation and teamwork into the months ahead, strengthening the bonds that make our schools vibrant, welcoming, and full of opportunity for all.
A Message from Deputy Executive Director Jesse Mojica
Dear Family-Facing Staff,
This month, we have much to be grateful for, and even more exciting opportunities ahead. As we continue to build strong partnerships between families, schools, and communities, I’m delighted to announce that Dr. Annmary López has joined us as the new Chief of Family and Community Empowerment (FACE).
Dr. López is a transformational leader, advocate, and champion for family empowerment. With her extensive experience in bilingual education and a lifelong commitment to empowering multilingual families, she truly embodies the spirit of our mission. Throughout her career, she has worked tirelessly to bridge gaps between schools and communities, ensuring every family’s voice is heard and valued in their child’s educational journey.
We are excited to welcome Dr. López to the FACE team and look forward to the insight, passion, and leadership she will bring to our shared work. You can also look forward to hearing from her directly in this newsletter with a monthly message to inspire and connect us all.
Please join me in extending a warm welcome and your full support as we move forward together in strengthening family and community partnerships.
Thank you for your ongoing compassion, collaboration, and dedication. With Dr. López’s leadership and your continued commitment, we will keep advancing our mission to serve New York City’s families and students.
With sincere appreciation,
Jesse Mojica
Deputy Executive Director
Office of Family and Community Empowerment (FACE)
Office of Family and Community Empowerment
Through meaningful family-school partnerships, The Office of Family and Community Empowerment supports families in creating spaces where students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, shaping a brighter future together.
FACE Programs and Initiatives
Ready to Help Families Make a Difference?
Please share this opportunity with families in your school community:
The Family Connectors and NYC Reads Ambassador Programs invite parents and caregivers to play a key role in strengthening the connection between schools and families. Whether they are passionate about education or eager to give back, this is their chance to inspire and lead. By partnering with FACE, families can support one another, share valuable resources, and help bridge the gap between schools and communities.
Join the Family Connectors Program here: https://forms.office.com/r/KybsF0jqde
Join the NYC Reads Ambassador Program here: https://forms.office.com/r/wT7nPHnPtp
Stay Connected and Keep Learning with Parent University!
Parent University is a one-stop hub for parents, caregivers, and school leaders to access workshops, resources, and learning opportunities that support student success and family engagement. From practical tips to in-depth guidance, Parent University offers a wide range of sessions designed to empower families and strengthen school communities.
Family Connectors can take full advantage of this resource by watching recordings of past sessions anytime. Whether you missed a workshop or want to revisit a favorite, these sessions help you stay informed, build new skills, and continue your journey toward earning your Family Connectors certificate. Rewatching sessions not only keeps you on track for certification it also provides insights and strategies to support families and make a meaningful impact in your school community.
Don’t wait, log in to Parent University today, catch up on what you’ve missed, and keep the momentum going!
Citywide and Community Education Councils
Each Education Council (CCEC) hosts a Town Hall in their district with the Chancellor once during the CEC’s two-year term. This is an opportunity to share information, hear of the community’s concerns and respond to questions.
Thank You for Joining Our Town Halls in Staten Island and Manhattan
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the families, students, parent leaders, and staff who joined us for the recent Chancellor’s Town Halls with the Community Education Councils (CECs) of District 31 in Staten Island and District 6 in Manhattan. Your participation, thoughtful questions, and dedication to your school communities embody the spirit of partnership that strengthens our public schools.
A special thank-you goes to the incredible students who attended and shared their talents through inspiring performances. You remind us why we gather, listen, and work together; their futures are at the heart of everything we do.
These Town Halls are more than meetings; they are vital opportunities for families to engage directly with NYC Public Schools leadership, share experiences, and shape the future of education in their districts. The insights and feedback gathered during these sessions help ensure that every voice contributes to building more responsive and equitable schools for all students.
If you weren’t able to join us this time, we invite you to attend an upcoming Town Hall in your district. Visit https://learndoe.org/cec/ to find the next scheduled event and learn how you can take part in these important conversations.
Together, we continue to strengthen the bridge between families, schools, and our city’s leadership, one Town Hall at a time.
Every Student, Every Day: Advancing Attendance Across NYC Public Schools
Consistent engagement is critical to academic success, which is why New York City Public Schools remain steadfast in our commitment to improving student attendance and reducing chronic absenteeism. Poor attendance is linked to a variety of negative outcomes and is even a better predictor of whether students will finish high school than test scores. Chronic absenteeism, defined as students missing at least 10% of the school year, plagues school systems nationwide, impacting more than 10 million students each year.
While there is more work to do, our efforts have driven annual decreases in chronic absenteeism for all students, particularly our most vulnerable populations. Chronic absenteeism has decreased every year since the pandemic, from 40.7 percent in the 2021–22 school year down to 33.3 percent last year, a 7.4 percent decrease over four years. New York City Public Schools uses the evidence based strategy, Every Student Every Day, to provide enhanced support to both districts and schools, helping families—many of whom reside in shelters— overcome barriers to regular attendance, including gaining access to food, clothing, and hygiene supplies, as well as counseling and health services. These wrap-around supports, including our Every Student Every Day attendance practices, have continued to decrease chronic absenteeism for our vulnerable populations over the past 4 years while providing valuable lessons of collaboration. The success mentoring attendance improvement strategy seeks to address the needs of students, families, and communities by providing a range of services and supports in and outside of school, to create welcoming, supportive environments that support the whole child and promote academic success, as well as social and emotional well-being. Additionally, the strategy significantly improved on-time grade progression for elementary and middle school students.
The Every Student Every Day strategy calls on NYCPS to take four strategic actions to reduce chronic absenteeism:
Define and communicate clear school attendance systems and practices including creating and sharing a school attendance policy and plan, identifying staff members to call every absent student every day, and celebrating good and improved attendance.
Engage the school attendance team in a weekly meeting to monitor attendance trends, identify barriers to attendance, review data, and intervene early.
Personalize student interventions, including Success Mentoring programs, to address barriers to attendance. Success Mentors are caring adults who mentor chronically absent students to identify the barriers preventing them from attending school each day.
Partner with communities to build a supportive learning environment by engaging community partners, collaborating with local organizations to provide support and resources to families, and engaging families in attendance improvement with a strength-based approach that centers on building and maintaining trust with families over time.
NYCPS provides schools with a range of training and programming to address chronic absenteeism and implement the Every Student Every Day strategy. We are launching a citywide campaign promoting the positive benefits of regular attendance and attending school every day possible.
For more information, please see our attendance-related policies and resources on our website.
Resources to Support Access to Food
NYC provides emergency food assistance through food pantries (groceries) and community kitchens (hot meals). Below are resources we have gathered to help families find and locate food assistance:
ACCESS NYC for food locations and applying for SNAP
Food Bank For New York City and Citymeals On Wheels for broader support with eligibility available to everyone regardless of immigration status or income
Plentiful this app will help you to find the nearest food pantry and make a reservation.
OTDA will keep you up to date on Government Food Benefits
Call 311
The following resources were shared by partners and are organized geographically. Schools can access a comprehensive directory here.
CITYWIDE
BRONX
BROOKLYN
QUEENS
MANHATTAN
STATEN ISLAND
Understanding the Queens Bus Network Changes
Be aware that the Queens Bus Network Redesign has brought changes to several routes, stops, and schedules. These updates may affect how students and families travel to and from school.
We strongly encourage you to review the new routes and schedules in advance and share this information with your school community to help ensure a smooth change.
Visit mta.info/queensbus for route details and see more details below:
Neighborhood/corridor brochures:
And more general ones in several languages:
FACE is a key component of the Division of Family, Community, and Student Empowerment. Learn more about the division and its affiliated offices by exploring their newsletters below.
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Office: 212-374-4118 Fax: 212-374-0733
Email: FACE@schools.nyc.gov