“Some things never change,” you assume to yourself as you put the final touches on the announcement for the mid-year Open House you and the staff have cautiously planned. “Some parents will come, some won’t.”rnPerhaps the parents who really should come are the ones that unsurprisingly won’t come. As the depressing thoughts creep in, you take a deep breath and tell yourself this year can be different, this year will be different.
No, you don’t have a magic wand, but you are aware of the latest study. Parent involvement has a powerful influence on educational outcomes for children. Children have more optimistic attitudes about school, better homework habits, and in general are higher achievers. As if that isn’t enough to encourage your renewed interest and promise toward parent involvement, study also shows that parents and teachers benefit. concerned parents have a better understanding of child development. They better know the role of the home environment in learning, and last but not least, they value teachers more!
What if you could plan events that matched your parents’ busy schedules? rnAccording to
distance learning ecce, timing is a barricade in linking homes and schools. It’s difficult to get three people together for lunch much less plan a children’s program or parent-teacher meeting that’s suitable for everyone. How do you efficiently match so many schedules with your many activities? It may seem impractical at first, but it’s necessary in an increasingly complex world of time constraints and busy schedules to offer a variety of events at different times of the day, evening, or week. This is a real effort for many programs and must be determined through many brainstorming sessions with parents and staff.
What if you carved out a comfort zone of involvement for all parents? rnMany would agree that the ideal is for parents to be occupied at many levels of their child’s education from attending special events to decision making about their own child or even policy making on behalf of all. The reality is that some parents, for a host of reasons, may want to get their feet wet a little at a time. In their decision, they may not be prepared to be on an advisory board or head up a charity performance, but they may feel relaxed attending a casual after-school art fair while munching on popcorn and sipping apple juice. Creating a comfort zone for parents during their initial experiences of parent participation is a valuable cause. The foundation laid now will likely pay off greatly for children as they plan their way through school.
What if you knew the best approach to take towards more parent participation?rnWorkshops, conferences, children’s parties, and fundraisers are all opportunities for parent participation. From the information you have of your parents, would they react excitedly to a workshop on a certain topic such as “Ten Tips for Terrific Two-Year-Olds?” Would they enjoy a day set aside for them to examine daily activities in the classroom? Perhaps you have parents who bloom on interacting with children and willingly volunteer for every field trip. Still others may paint the swing set or bring their guitar to school. Plan a variety of events so that every parent from the most outgoing to the most reserved feels welcome.
What if you knew techniques to create a sense of community? rnPerhaps you can serve complimentary coffee around the parent notice board to promote casual conversation. A parent’s club devoted to informal meetings where parents can learn from each other could become a normal part of your monthly calendar. To promote community within classes’ online
nursery teacher training recommends planning some events around individual classrooms instead of the entire school or program. Some of your parents might be occupied in civic or religious groups in need of space during the evening or on weekends. What if you could come up with events so enjoyable that parents couldn’t defy?
Exhausted of the same old open houses, garage sales, and classroom parties? It’s fun to come up with exceptional ideas especially when it brings a new level of active response from children, parents, and staff. •Host a storybook reading a couple times a year, and let children come in their pajamas. Including puppets and flatter board stories.
•Have fun with fundraisers by hosting a quiet auction for children’s artwork, a car wash, or a bake sale to bring in families and money.
•Comfort and food go together. Have a “make your own” sandwich party. Lay out bowls of different sandwich toppings and give a prize for the most creative looking and tasty sandwiches.
•Request a parent, grandparent, or friend to lunch.
•During the winter months, offer a chili dinner for families as they interlace their way toward home.
•In the summer, sponsor a picnic on the park with sandwiches, lemonade, and cookies.
ConclusionrnWith hard work, understanding, and events that are fun and interesting, parents are sure to get the message, “You are welcome here!” thus, Careful planning for such kind of involvement from parents is well worth the time, effort, and hard work.