Parent and Family Involvement in Education

How I will Encourage Parent and Family Involvement in Education

How I will Encourage Parent and Family Involvement in Education Parent and family involvement is extremely important in education, especially early childhood education. I believe it is crucial that we encourage parents and families to understand how important their roles are in their child’s education. I would teach parents and families what they can do to make the early childhood education school system better through: community involvement; volunteerism at the school and in the child’s classroom; their support at home in guiding their children in homework and projects by using various techniques to help them further understand what is being taught in class; advocacy for our school system; and open communication. I feel it is my number one responsibility to the parents that I give them the knowledge, skills, and support needed at home (Morrison, 2009) to help them understand how the school system works and why their participation in their children’s learning is so important. Before classes even begin, I can start mailing out letters to the parents (even though I use the word “parents” throughout this paper, this includes all caregivers, because I realize that some children live with one parent, foster parents, grandparents, or other family members) listing the school’s guidelines and programs. This way, they will know and feel a part of what the school and their children are doing. I could encourage them in the letter to explore different avenues of helping their children learn, like taking workshops or adult education classes (2009) that are offered through the school education system. I can share with them ways that they can help in the classroom or tell them about parent-teacher organizations (PTO), where parents can learn school agenda and share their educational viewpoints with other parents and school faculty. When parents bring their children to meet me as their new teacher during open house before the new school year starts, I can provide them with several handouts containing educational books and other material relating to parenting (2009) and steps they can take to get their children ready for school. To give parents and families support at home, I can provide them with a list of age-appropriate books to read to their children throughout the school year to teach their children a love of reading and to help increase their reading skills. This is where the school and county libraries will become a fun spot for parents and families to read together. The school website is a very good informational tool for parents and families as well. In the letters and take-home packets that I give to the parents at open house, I would include the website address for the school web page and instructions on how to navigate through the web site to see everything it has to offer. Here, the parents and families can see the school calendar showing when interim reports and report cards are sent home and when school closings and holidays are. Also, I can tell the parents during open house and in letters sent home with their children the first day of school that I will be updating my teacher portion of the website periodically throughout the year about what projects we are doing in class and tips on how to help their children with homework, along with a short bio of how and why I became a teacher. All of this support given to the parents and families opens the door to communication between the home and school. Schools and teachers need to keep the communication open in order for parents and families to continuously stay involved. All schools, including the faculty, need to make the parents and families feel welcome, looking for ways to show them that, together, they are a part of the children’s education. I believe that communication skills, like “active listening [and] communicating respect” (Hills & Knowles, 1987, p. 158) need to be the basis of my conversations with parents and families. Another way that I can keep communication open is by letting the parents know that I am always available, whether it be through parent-teacher conferences or via e-mail. I want parents and families to know that my sole reason for teaching is to reach out to and educate their children in many various ways, but that I need their support and involvement to do this. I can schedule special times during the year that parents and families can join their children for lunch in the cafeteria or come into the class to see how their children are adapting and learning. Another way I can establish lines of communication between the parents and families is to send home weekly newsletters in the parents’ home language (Morrison, 2009). Volunteering at school and in the community go hand-in-hand with involvement in decision making and advocacy. The more parents and families volunteer at school and become involved in community programs, the higher the chances of them reaching out to other parents and community members about education. I can distribute a contact list of committee members that hire school staff and set policies (Morrison, 2009) to parents and families, so they can stay in contact with them or call them if they have any concerns about their children and the education school system. Volunteerism in the community and involvement in community programs regarding education are just a few examples of how to collaborate with the community. I would also set up special occasions outside of class time like hosting an outside move night or potluck dinner for our community, so that we can all get to know each other and spend quality time together. In conclusion, the six areas of family and parent involvement in early childhood education all work together. Knowledge and skills acquired through open communication between school, parents, families, and teachers make it possible for parents and families to become involved in the classroom, community, and school system.

References
Hills, M.D., & Knowles, D.W. Providing for personal meaning in parent education programs. Family Relations. 36(2), 158. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/583946
Morrison, G. (2009). Early childhood education today. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

References: Hills, M.D., & Knowles, D.W. Providing for personal meaning in parent education programs. Family Relations. 36(2), 158. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/583946 Morrison, G. (2009). Early childhood education today. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.