By Colleen Polak, Former HOME WORKS! CEO
As I reflect on my time as CEO of HOME WORKS!, I am filled with immense gratitude for the transformative work we have done together. It has been an honor to lead an organization that empowers schools, families, and communities to come together for the success of our children. The partnerships we’ve built over the years have been nothing short of inspiring, and they will continue to shape the future of education in St. Louis and beyond.
Year after year, the impact of our work has been clear. Students are attending school more regularly, performing better in the classroom, and forming stronger connections with their teachers. Parents are more empowered to support their children’s learning at home, while teachers are equipped with the skills and resources they need to engage families effectively. These outcomes are a testament to the dedication of our team, our partners, and the families and teachers who believe in the power of partnership between school and home. I am tremendously proud of the part I played in bringing this to life.
I joined HOME WORKS! at a pivotal time. Our Founder was preparing for retirement, readying herself to “pass the baton” as she put it, and this transition allowed us to reflect deeply on our mission and refine our approach. We completed a comprehensive, multi-year assessment of our program offerings and evaluation, which led to a new understanding of the tremendous, positive impact our program activities have on the students, families and teachers we serve. We took that knowledge and developed a new Program Map, Theory of Change, and Logic Model. We embarked on a new way of collecting and analyzing data. We reflected on and refreshed our core values, vision, and mission. We moved into Delmar Divine to break down nonprofit silos and live our core value of collaboration each day. We launched our annual 24-hour “Unlock the Power of Home” campaign and laid the groundwork to embark on strategic planning. We formed new school partnerships, brought on new board members, and invited new donors to join our cause. And all the while we used the tools we created to ensure we remained focused on delivering meaningful, measurable outcomes for the thousands of students and families we serve.
A personal highlight of my time at HOME WORKS! has been the launch of our ambitious Fellowship program, developed in partnership with St. Louis Public Schools and The Tilles Foundation during the 2021-22 school year. This three-year initiative allowed us to gather critical data on what it takes to drive classroom-wide family engagement at an intensive, evidence-based level. The insights gained from this program have been invaluable in refining our core model and ensuring that schools continue to build the capacity to engage families effectively. Teachers, too, have become more motivated and excited about the long-term benefits of creating a strong school-home continuum.
Importantly, our work is getting noticed. This year, HOME WORKS! has been invited to present at one regional and two national education conferences — an incredible opportunity to share our insights and spread the word about the importance of family engagement in closing the opportunity gap for students in under-resourced schools.
And this progress couldn’t have come at a better time. In recent years, the importance of impactful, evidence-based parent and family engagement has gained national momentum. The U.S. Surgeon General’s recent report, Parents Under Pressure, underscores the critical need to support parents as they navigate the challenges of raising children in today’s world. This report emphasizes what we at HOME WORKS! have long understood—that when we support parents in their role as the first and most important educators of their children, we create the foundation for academic success. This national recognition only strengthens my resolve that family engagement is not just a “nice-to-have,” but a vital component of educational equity.
None of this would have been possible without the unwavering support of our board, staff, teachers, and community partners. Thank you for placing your faith in me over the last several years. I am deeply proud of the progress we have made and confident that HOME WORKS! is poised to continue making a lasting impact. While it is bittersweet to step down from this role, I know the future of the organization is bright, and I look forward to watching it continue to thrive.
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this incredible journey.
