Family Engagement Specialists

Welcome to our blog! We are passionate about empowering parents and educators with the knowledge and strategies to boost and sustain family engagement goals. Our products and services are currently in 48 states and Puerto Rico and New Zealand. All products are available in Spanish. When schools and communities connect, students succeed.


Monday, February 25, 2013

Black History Month

February is Black History Month. Many schools include the study of African Americans in history as a part of their curriculum. As parents, you may be interested in exploring resources to enhance your child's appreciation of famous African Americans, as well. Here are a few websites that can broaden your child's understanding of the impact of our country's heritage through many African American heroes.


1. www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/aframer/

This web site includes interactive links for African American inventors, biographies of African Americans, time lines of African Americans in history, and many more suggestions for learning projects.

2. www.timeforkids.com/minisite/black-history-month

This web site includes videos and articles on African Americans like: Martin L. King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. Other features are the "Time for Kids-Kid Reporter" article and the Disney Channel's new hit series, "Shake it Up", with Roshon Fegan.

3. www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/bhm/activities/

This web site carries links to various activities for elementary to high school age groups. Each activity has a description and procedures for completing the game or project. They also include a list of sources for those who are interested in further study on the topic.

Take a few minutes to examine the suggested web sites with your child. Helping your child gain a positive appreciation for learning about American history instills the feeling of pride for our heritage, but may also spark a "dream" for the future.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Presidents' Day!


President's Day is a national holiday observed on the third Monday in February of each year.  Even though many different presidents could be remembered, we generally set aside this day to remember our first president, George Washington, and our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln because they each were born in February; with Washington's birthday being the 22nd and Lincoln's being on the 12th.

To learn more information about these two historical figures and about the impact their lives made on the United States of America, check out these research websites designed for students from Kindergarten to 12th grade.

http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln2.html

This Lincoln Research site is the "one stop shop" for students, teachers, or anyone interested in locating information about President Lincoln

·         for students: a one page summary of Lincoln's life

·         a collection of authentic Lincoln quotes

·          list of Lincoln's accomplishments

·         Abraham Lincoln's first romance

·         Summary of Lincoln's legal career

·         Report on the "Tragedy at Ford Theatre"

·         "The Lincoln Special: including a map of the route of Lincoln' funeral procession

 

www.earlyamerica.com/lives/gwlife/

The life of George Washington

 

http://childfun.com

Crafts and activities that children can make that relate to the lives of Washington and Lincoln.

 

Take time to explore the web for other sites that include information concerning other USA Presidents.  You will be helping your child learn about our nation's history, as well as, building a foundation for patriotism and love for our country.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Valentine's Day

Children love Valentine’s Day at school. They are just as excited to receive Valentine cards as they are to receive Christmas gifts. The nice thing about Valentine’s Day cards is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make your children happy.


Valentine’s Day can be a time to teach your child valuable lessons about being kind, sharing, and showing love to family and friends. Even though you could purchase pre-made cards with Disney characters or super heroes, why not consider making this year’s Valentines at home. This can be a fun family project that will create lasting memories for your child.

Gather the following materials for making personalized Valentines: colored paper, white paper, glue, glitter, tape, crayons, markers, colored pens or pencils, scissors, stickers, and photos. You can use family pictures or even pictures cut from old magazines.

1. Lay out the materials on a table. Begin by folding colored paper in half to form a card.

2. Select pictures to be placed on the outside of the card and glue in place.

3. With colored markers, write Happy Valentine’s Day on the front of the card.

4. On the inside of the card, help your child create a message. Think about the person the card has been designed for. If it is for a family member, the message should reflect love and care. If it is for a friend, the message should reflect kindness.

5. Allow your child to decorate the card with glitter, crayon drawings, stickers, or other artistic creations.

6. Sign and date each card. Since these cards have been hand-made by your child, I’m sure the recipient of each card will want to have it as a keepsake gift.

Making Valentine’s Day cards with your child will be a rewarding experience for you and your child. Your child will have the opportunity to bond with you as you talk about family and friends and why these people mean so much to your family. You are helping your child to develop positive ways of expressing love for others. Isn’t THAT what Valentine’s Day is all about?

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Tips to Encourage Community Partners in School

Members of the community can become partners with the local school district through involvement with principals, teachers, and students.


The first step will be to contact the principal of a local school and schedule an interview. Share with the principal your desire to become a partner with the school.

Here are a few tips on suggested involvement opportunities:

1. Maybe you have a hobby or career that you can share at a school program for kids or parents.

2. Maybe you can volunteer for a school committee, parent form, or be a program speaker.

3. Have you had experience at world travel? Sharing your story with students can open their minds to cultures around the world.

4. Do you have political connections with the community? Invite an elected official to have lunch at school with a small group of students and teachers to discuss an innovative program, student achievement, or student aspirations.

5. Schools are always seeking volunteers for tutors and student buddies. Maybe this is an area of interest for you.


School and community partnerships create opportunities for students to explore and engage in new authentic learning. Schools need community involvement. Think about ways you can become a valuable partner with your local school district.

What is Parent Advocacy?

Parents show advocacy when they speak or write in support or defense of their children to improve opportunities for excellence in education. Parents show advocacy when they guide their children through school knowing what programs are available and understand how to navigate the system. Parents show advocacy by speaking together with other parents aspiring to articulate their needs and views to school personnel in an effective manner. Parents may assume advocacy roles to help outside agencies and community leaders respond to children’s needs and to the home school relationship. Parents can take a proactive stance in regard to the welfare of all children and appropriate programs to enhance their growth and development.


Parents are decision makers

Parents can participate in decisions about program planning for their children since they are the “experts” regarding their own children. They can also be involved in the needs assessment and evaluation for the class or program by providing their statement of needs and their perceptions about their effectiveness of the program.


Why should we focus on advocacy?

1. Parents and students have a voice in the process

2. They are involved fully in the important decisions regarding their education

3. Parents can encourage accountability in the educational system

4. Parents can influence programs and practices that benefit all children


What Schools can do

• Create a welcoming environment

• Solicit comments and suggestions from parents and families

• Invite parents to serve on committees

• Communicate regularly

• Encourage parents to learn more by offering parent trainings and workshops


What Parents can do

• Visit the school regularly

• Familiarize self with rules and procedures

• Know your child’s teacher

• Communicate regularly

• Include yourself in school events

• Participate in parent workshops and trainings

Schools Participating in Home Visitations as a Means to Increase Parental Involvement

“School Boards and policy leaders need to look much farther back to see that ‘lo and behold’, one of the great interventions that can affect their graduation rates is home visitations. It is a simple concept that has really never been more powerful”. Libby Doggett, Director of Pew Center


In 1998, the Pew Center Study on home visiting programs, found that 84% of students whose families had participated in the study graduated from high school, while 54% of students who did not participate earned diplomas.

Researchers agree that parents and families are the primary influence on a child’s development. Parents, grandparents, foster parents, and others who take on parenting roles strongly affect the following assets in children:

• Language development

• Emotional growth

• Social skills and personality

Child development researchers have arrived at a strong consensus on the extraordinary influence parents have on a child’s development. They recognize the positive impact parents have on lifetime learning for their children. Engaging parents as “educational partners” early in the child’s development is likely to lead to positive outcomes for the future of the child.

Examples of good parent programs include:

1. Maintaining strong communication with parents

2. Learning more about the child from the family and working together to meet the child’s specific needs

3. Conducting home visits as a way of maintaining a relationship between the program and parents


Guidelines for establishing home visitation programs

A home visiting program needs to have:

1. An established needs assessment tool to determine the family’s level of risk

2. Established clear objectives and protocols for home visits

3. A means to encourage families to make a transition from home visits to site-based parenting programs


Examples of families who receive home visitation programs:

1. Families without access to reliable transportation

2. Families with several preschool children

3. Families with children and/or parents have special medical, physical, or developmental concerns

4. First time parents

5. Parents lacking group skills who are not comfortable in group settings


A positive result of home visitation programs for families:

1. Increases positive parenting practices

2. Improves in the health of the entire family

3. Increases in the family’s self-sufficiency

4. Enhances school readiness for the preschoolers

5. Enhances parent-child interactions and child development

6. Promotes early detection of developmental delays

7. Helps improve literacy skills


TWO TYPES OF PROGRAMS

Parent Programs

  • Teach the parent behaviors that promote child development

  • Engage the parent in teachable strategies for school readiness

Child Centered Programs

  • Teach school readiness skills

  • Engage the child intellectually and behaviorally
Engaging parents in their child’s learning is a key ingredient for early childhood programs to promote positive child outcomes. The earlier parents are involved in their child’s learning and development, the more parent involvement will continue later, leading to better child outcomes, including success in school and eventually graduating from high school.