Parental Partnership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 13, 2022 

Diocese of Manchester Establishes New Statement
on Parental Partnership in Catholic Education

Catholic Schools Office Launches Summer Referral Incentive

(MANCHESTER, NH) - David A. Thibault, Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Manchester, announced today the release of a Diocesan position on parental partnership in Catholic education.

“Parents are the primary educators of their child,” said Thibault. “As Catholics, we believe that parents have the right to involvement and partnership in the education and formation of their children.”

“That is why we came out today with this statement on partnering with parents,” said Thibault. “Our Catholic schools work in great unity with parents, but our position is not always known to the public; those outside Catholic schools. Lately, there has been a lot of public discourse surrounding a parent’s role in schools.”

“We’re here to say that parents are vital in the success of students, and the more a parent is engaged, the greater the likelihood that a student will be as well. Publicly sharing our position helps to foster better relationships, greater understanding of educational roles, and better informs those parents considering Catholic education,” said Thibault.

The Catholic Schools Office also announced the creation of a new Referral Program, called the Family 2 Family Incentive, a two-fold incentive for newly enrolled families, and the families that referred them. Any family of children grades Pre-K through 12 that is referred by a current Catholic school family and enrolls between July 1 and September 1, will receive a $500 tuition credit for the 2022-2023 school year for each child enrolled, and the family that referred them will also receive a $500 credit.

“This referral incentive seeks to reward our current families, while casting a wide net to those who haven’t yet made the switch,” said Alison Mueller, Director of Marketing, Enrollment, and Development for Catholic Schools. “We have seen a resurgence of Catholic school interest and enrollment in recent years, and our goal is to continue to have conversations about our mission, while empowering current families to extend the invitation to apply.”

All seventeen diocesan and parish schools in the Diocese of Manchester are participating in the Family 2 Family Incentive and funding is not need-based. Parents who are interested in learning more should contact any Catholic school directly for details or visit nhcatholicschools.com.

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The Diocese of Manchester is the Roman Catholic Church in New Hampshire, serving the needs of nearly 210,000 Catholics. For more information, please visit www.catholicnh.org/overview.

CLICK HERE for the Diocese of Manchester Catholic Schools Statement on Parental Partnership in Education