Summer Vacation is Coming to an End

There are ads in the paper and commercials on TV for school supplies already. OMG! Where has July gone? Soon the new CIS staff will be attending Project Operations (training for new CIS staff) and former staff will return a week later. This means the Program Directors (that’s me!) are working on training so everyone will be up to par for the next school year.

I am really excited for staff to return and new staff to start with CIS. There are many trainings we have lined up for them to attend. The trainings teach the staff new techniques to use with their students and families and also give them resources to use as well. These trainings ultimately help ensure the staff will be able to meet the needs of their schools. Some of these trainings are an agency fair, solution focused therapy, parent involvement, etc.  Every school is very different and relies on the Program Manager (PM) in different ways. Likewise every PM is different and relies on me in different ways. I am excited to see how returning staff continue to develop their role as the social worker and are hopefully less timid then when they first started. I am also excited to have new staff start with CIS. It is a challenging time for both PD and PM but it is a great feeling for me to see them grow and learn the ropes of CIS. It is an exciting time to show them their schools and help them mold in to the best social worker they can be for their schools. The feeling of seeing your new school and meeting the people you work with is similar to those nerves you had on the first day of school as a young child. My role is to help the new PM feel comfortable and knowlegdable going in to their new school. Supervising staff is fun and keeps every school year completely different, but I am very excited to begin this process!

All this being said, newspaper ads and TV commercials for school supplies serve as a reminder that summer is ending and another school year is about to begin! But I am ready for all the stress, anxiety, and fun to begin because I know in the end we will be transforming students’ lives and making it better for them and their families. It’s all worth it!

Sincerely,
Jade Taylor, LMSW
Program Director

Social Work Continues Even After School Gets Out

My friends always ask me, “what do you do during the summer, school is out, right?” I say yes, but life as a social worker is about more than assisting children and families in need. Social work is also about advocacy, research, policy and administration.

Over the summer months I wear several hats. First, I start my summer in Austin at our annual training program for best practice ideas and training over the next school year’s documents. Upon my return I analyze all required documents from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) during our summer training program. I, along with other operation managers in the CIS of Texas network, advocate for change with the prescribed paperwork in an effort to streamline paperwork and procedures for the hundreds of CIS staff across Texas.

Second, I work closely with several of the Program Directors to secure required Continuing Education Training Units (CEU’s) for our Project Managers. CIS Tarrant County builds relationships with other professionals throughout the metroplex to provide training. These courses help our staff stay abreast of the most current issues in their schools and communities.

Third, I work on changes to the Personnel, Policies and Procedure manuals.

Lastly, I focus on administrative duties such as selecting due dates for the upcoming school year and interviewing potential applicants for employment. I spend about 15 hours per week in the summer conducting interviews in an effort to secure the best candidates to fit CIS and our schools.

During interviews, I ask potential candidates if they are more energized by working with data or collaborating with others? Generally, most candidates say collaborating with others. However, social work requires both. I feel energized once a project is completed and I like collaborating with others for the success of children and CIS.

So, as you can see I have my work cut out for me each summer.

— Myra McGlothen, VP and Chief Program Officer