Building Bridges to Families

1. Building Bridges to Families Su Theriault Early Childhood Specialist Sutherault@gmail.com

2. Families are the most important people in their children’s lives. What positive family involvement experiences have you had either as a parent, teacher, or a participant?

3. Universal Design and Families The design of family involvement practices that supports the equitable access and engagement of all families in the full range of experiences. This includes ongoing communication, learning opportunities, and program involvement activities.

4. Families are big extended, nuclear, multigenerational, with one parent, two parents, and grandparents. We live under one roof or many. A family can be as temporary as a few weeks or as permanent as forever. We become a part of a family by birth, adoption, marriage, or from a desire for mutual support. A family is a culture unto itself, with different values and unique ways of realizing its dreams; Together our families become the source of our rich cultural heritage and spiritual diversity. Our families create neighborhoods, communities, states, and nations. Excerpted: Report of House Memorial 5 Task Force on Young Children, NM, 1990

5. What do you see as the benefits of all families being engaged in your program?

6. Engage Families Throughout the Year

7. Schools’ and Teachers’ Responsibilities Under NCLB • give parents the tools they need to support their children’s leaning in the home • communicate regularly with families about children’s academic progress • provide opportunities for family workshops • offer parents chances to engage in parent leadership activities at the school site • distinguish the different child outcomes related to family involvement processes • understand the diverse needs and assets of their diverse communities

8. Family & Community Relationships • Positive parent-child relationship = greater outcomes; fewer discipline, social-emotional problems • Parent/community linkages = enhanced parenting practices. Parents: • received greater emotional support; • felt more effective as parents; • Had home environments with greater cognitive stimulation, • showed more warmth and responsiveness to children

9. Essential Components of Successful Family Engagement Programs • foundation of mutual respect and trust • connection of parent engagement strategies to student learning objectives • reaching out to engage parents beyond the school

10. National PTA Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs • Communicating • Parenting • Student Learning • Volunteering • School Decision Making and Advocacy • Collaborating with Community.

11. Enhancing Family Involvement • Increasing opportunities for interactions • Promoting options to parents • Special considerations around travel • Facilitating communication around linguistic diversity • Design programs to encourage literacy-based activities • Connect family involvement to academic outcomes

12. Use Technology • Digital photos • Internet www.teacherweb.com www.wikispaces.com

13. Resources for Families National Institute for Literacy www.nifl.gov • Big Dreams: A Family Book About Reading • Dad’s Playbook: Coaching Kids to Read • Shining Stars: Kindergartners Learn to Read U.S. Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/hyc.html • Helping Your Child Become a Reader • Helping Your Child With Homework • Helping Your Child Succeed in School • Helping Your Child Learn Science • Helping Your Child Learn Mathematics

14. Internet Resources Tolerance.org http://www.tolerance.org/ Learning Beyond the Classroom http://www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/ summer • activities for children ages 4 to 18 • booklists • reading logs • book review podcasts • best practice videos National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education http://www.ncpie.org/

15. Resources for Schools & Families Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnershipsby Anne Henderson, Karen Mapp, Vivian Johnson and Don Davies ISBN: 978-1-56584-888-7

16. How Families Support Learning Outcomes • Supporting literacy • Helping with homework • Managing children’s education • Maintaining high expectations http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/

17. Consider the needs of a diverse range of parents and families from the beginning.

18. Small Group Identify the following: • What might be the specific needs of the family on your group’s profile? • How might their needs impact involvement in the child’s education at home, school, and in their community? • What are some strategies to involve the widest range of families?

19. Implications for Practice • Create mechanisms for continuous family involvement from pre-kindergarten through elementary school • Support parents ability to take responsibility for their children’s learning in elementary school • Form linkages between out-of-school time programs, families, and elementary schools • Respect the diversity of parents in elementary schools

20. Implications for Policy • Invest in family involvement through comprehensive district policies • Integrate family involvement as part of the elementary school instructional strategy • Invest in evaluations of family involvement • Provide incentives for businesses and community to support family involvement

21. Additional Online Resources from Harvard Family Research Projecthttp://www.hfrp.org/family involvement • Taking a Closer Look: A Guide to Online Resources on Family Involvement • Family Involvement in Early Childhood Education • Parental Involvement in Homework: A review of Current Research and Its Implications for Teachers, After School Program Staff, and Parent Leaders • Preparing Educators to Involve Families: From Theory to Practice • The Evaluation Exchange: Evaluating Family Involvement Programs