Our job is serving New York City public school families. We work to help parents answer questions and solve problems. We also have launched programs and initiatives to improve relationships with families and school communities more broadly.

The Chancellor established the Office for Family Engagement and Advocacy on July 1, 2007 to transform how the Department of Education serves New York City’s nearly 1 million public school families. Under the leadership of the Chief Family Engagement Officer, Martine Guerrier, OFEA has unified the Department’s structure for family outreach and has created a framework for ensuring that the parent voice is heard.

The Office for Family Engagement and Advocacy comprises a dedicated parent support team that spans every borough, every school district, and every school in New York City. OFEA is the primary point of contact for families and parent leaders who have concerns about their schools, and it also supports the City’s school-based and district-based parent leadership associations.

The office also provides written translation services and over-the-phone interpretation for schools and DOE offices, and trains Parent Coordinators to make every school a place where families feel welcome, supported, and respected as partners in education.