Building reciprocity with families: Case studies in special education. Whether in person (parent-teacher conferences,), through printed materials (flyers, newsletters, school bulletin boards) or online (school Web sites, group or individual e-mails) , try to make frequent contact with parents. Oakland . You may want to ask parents to fill out a questionnaire on the first day of school or invite them to take it home and return it at a later date. Try not to be defensive if parents lash out upon hearing "bad news." Teach a song? Your events may also be more successful if you first survey families to find out what times and days of the week work best for these kinds of get-togethers. Parental Involvement in the Classroom. While not really 'worried' about his daughter's transition to preschool, he was very inquisitive about what happened at different times during the day, and made repeated mention of this being Sarah's first experience in a 'real school' setting. U.S. Department of Education (2002b). (2000). (And think about how special a parent will feel receiving a note from the class thanking them for their visit!). What are some of the best parent involvement strategies for early childhood settings? Make parents aware of helpful resource such as books, videos, DVDs, pamphlets and Web sites. Moms, dads, grandmas, uncles, and other adults in children’s lives enjoy getting to know other adults in the community and feel good about being able to contribute to classroom resources and materials. Here are some ideas for supporting ongoing parental interest and involvement that many early childhood educators have found to be successful: Make the most of drop-off and pick-up activities. Consider inviting professionals from the local community to come in and share information with your families in a workshop setting. When thinking about how to nurture a sense of community within your program, it’s important to consider how you might create an environment where families feel comfortable and encouraged to build relationships with other families. In an effort to show that she was "in charge" she tried to do everything herself. The National PTA has also set the following National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs: Encourage active parent participation in student learning. "She's doing fine" is not nearly as satisfying to a parent as "You wouldn't believe how much fun she had creating clay animals the other day!". Encourage and remind parents to do the same. We’ve sent you an email with instructions on how to download your free copy of Tranforming Professional Practice Through Intentional Instruction, The Creative Curriculum® for Infants, Toddlers & Twos, The Creative Curriculum® for Kindergarten, The Creative Curriculum® for Family Child Care, Professional Development for The Creative Curriculum®. Be a good listener. Conducting outreach activities and regularly inviting parents to participate in school activities; Making efforts to engage fathers, mothers and intergenerational care providers (uncles, aunts, grandparents); The skills and training needs of adults to effectively assume partnership roles; Establishing ways for groups of parents and individual families to offer feedback on why and how well partnership activities are meting their needs. If possible, share a tentative plan of action and integrate parents' suggestions as appropriate. At these times, when approached by other children, he tends to ignore them and on several occasions has used foul language and even pushed them away. Directing parents to information about "sensitive" issues can help them to increase awareness of important topics and even develop some level of acceptance, making it easier for them to partner with you and take positive action. Some helpful tips include: Share informational resources. A good way to start building parent networks is by creating a parent contact list .Be sure to include teachers, aides and other relevant school personnel. Even though these times can be tumultuous, don't miss out on opportunities to engage interested parents. Ask for feedback. With minimal additional planning and a bit of flexibility, parents can be helpful in supporting the implementation of any number of the core components of Recognition and Response such as systematic observation, screening and recording data, monitoring progress, and helping to implement effective teaching practices. Some assistants/aides have a wealth of experience (in the classroom and with parents) and asking them for advice may be a very wise thing to do. Whether parents are invited to be silent observers or to help with activities, these visits can be most helpful and enjoyable. Getting Parents "Ready" for Kindergarten: The Role of Early Childhood Education. While a certain amount of tension and anxiety is to be expected at times like this, careful planning can go a long way to help everyone feel more at ease. This publication offers a Parent Involvement Checklist that can help schools develop and sustain partnerships among teachers, parents and administrators It focuses attention on such important issues as: This informal quiz can help parents identify the skills/knowledge they can contribute to a partnership with the school community. And be sure to ask parents whether the information being shared is useful and how it can be improved, both in terms of content (e.g. However well-intentioned, sharing concerns about a child's status can be a tension-filled turning point in the parent-teacher relationship and well worth careful planning and introspection on everyone's part. I try to have a parent activities a least 3 times a week in my class. Provide a short biography about yourself and your interests. Dr. Louis M. Rossetti, in his book titled Communication Intervention: Birth to Three, has referred to the delivery of difficult news to parents about their child as "a loaded gun fired at the heart." Allow time for parents to process hear, feel, think and respond. It’s important to remember that getting away for an evening is not always an easy task for a primary caregiver. 3. Eliciting ideas for these events from parents may encourage them to be more involved in developing and planning. When speaking with parents, be sure to add some specific information about their child's progress. Amy was a new teacher and was especially eager to make sure parents felt at ease about leaving their child with her on the first day of school. Having a group discussion about the information in the guide enables teachers and families to share thoughts and ideas while building stronger partnerships. Help with an art project? 53% of parent responses contained positive feedback regarding their child's ability to adjust well, the benefits of prior experience to school setting, proactive transition planning by the school, positive qualities in the teachers, communication with the school, and the quality of the curriculum/program.
ideas for family involvement in early childhood education