This resource, produced by the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (co-authored by HFRP’s Christine Patton and M. Elena Lopez), discusses the importance of families’ support for their children’s learning and development as children transition to new environments. The resource positions the transition to kindergarten as a pivotal point for establishing the kinds of practices that can help sustain gains children have made in their early learning settings, and offers examples of successful program practices that Head Start and Early Head Start staff can use to help children and families with this transition.

In this facilitator’s guide, you will find:
-A comprehensive Read and Rise program overview.
-Helpful tips for planning your program.
-A list of program materials and resources.
-A step-by-step outline and talking points to help you conduct a successful program.

Creating a place for all parents.

This article by Debbie Pushor looks at parent engagement, school community and well-being.

These bookmarks can be used in a variety of ways to provide students with feedback on their reading or writing.  Feedback can be provided by family members, teachers, peers or even themselves. Four different bookmarks are provided, and they are provided in an editable format if you wish to change them to better fit your needs. 

The significance of relationships between the parents and teachers of preschool and kindergarten children is well established. Teachers and schools are presumed to be responsible for lack of parent-teacher collaboration. Early childhood teacher education programs recognize this and offer support related to parents and families.

"Now more than ever, families need ideas and resources to help manage learning at home. So we’ve created a new resource for you to share with your students’ parents or caregivers.
This Teachable Moment, a free eBook available for download now, offers an intro to Project Based Learning and 21 easy-to-implement, “follow the recipe” PBL projects, designed for children of all ages and capabilities.
These projects can be used to keep kids learning, growing, and discovering during this summer, while giving families the space and time needed to stay productive."

Get the eBook - Download it and get 21 ready to go PBL activities!

Please find the required PowerPoint presentation below.  This workshop has been developed as part of the course Parents in Teaching and Learning (ECUR 823) at the University of Saskatchewan with professor Debbie Pushor.This workshop is meant to be personalized.  Select the activities you wish to discuss, and spend as much or as little time on the concepts that speak fully to your school.  As you select activities and where to put your focus think of what needs to be done as a school and as a classroom teacher before school begins, during school, and over the summer.  Pick and choose the activities that best fit your school and your school’s needs.If you have any questions, feedback, or require clarification please feel free to call or email Melissa.lander@sunwestsd.ca. 

Make a recipe with your family and share your finished product with a neighbor challenge.

This course includes 8 modules & will take approximately 4 hours to complete in its entirety.

Modules include topics such as:
GSD 101
Understanding the Context
Two-Spirit
Policy
Family & Community Engagement
Transgender Youth

Next Steps
What is Parent Engagement
Why is Parent Engagement Important
Parent engagement activities

Planning Parent Engagement Toolkit (external link)

“Hospitality and invitation remain empty gestures until they are made with the genuine intention to open up the school space and agenda, to co-create it with parents and other caregivers as well as with students” - from Parent Engagement: Creating a Shared World (external PDF) by Debbie Pushor, PhD

Parent engagement increases student achievement and fosters positive learning outcomes. To increase parent engagement in your school, follow these simple steps to get started:

Assess:
Parent engagement checklist
Getting started:
How to make parent engagement “come alive”
Increasing involvement:
Barriers and strategies for success

Grade Alike Planning (GAP)A job embedded, structured planning framework that infuses key pieces to students educational experiences.

Table of Contents
I. Toolkit Overview Pg. 2
• Purpose of the Toolkit
• How to Use the Toolkit
II. Background Pg. 3
• What is Parent Engagement?
• Why is it important?
• What do we mean by sustainability?
• What will success look like?
III. Sustaining and Improving Parent Engagement Pg. 4-6
• How did this effort come about?
• What does experience tell us about the importance of each strategy?
IV. Achieving Success: Guide for Creating Your Own Strategies Pg. 7-17
• Creating a Parent Engagement Roadmap
• Developing a Parent Engagement Checklist/Self Assessment
• Establishing a Parent Engagement Support Network
V. Source Material & Additional Resources Pg. 18

Angel Arrellano, a nine-year-old girl from Fresno, CA. spearheaded a campaign to raise money to be donated to the local zoo. Her enthusiasm and altruism generated an overwhelming response from the Fresno community and beyond, which allowed for much needed upkeep and improvements for the zoo and its animals.

Students who regularly complete and turn in homework assignments perform significantly better in school than those of similar ability who do not do homework (Olympia et al., 1994). Homework is valuable because it gives students a chance to practice, extend, and entrench the academic skills taught in school. Parents can be instrumental in encouraging and motivating their children to complete homework. This homework contract intervention (adapted from Miller & Kelly, 1994) uses goal-setting, a written contract, and rewards to boost student completion (and accuracy) of homework. Students also learn the valuable skills of breaking down academic assignments into smaller, more manageable subtasks and setting priorities for work completion.

"Have you been thinking SLCs sounded like a good idea but you were afraid of screwing them up? OR have you been doing them for years but never really felt like you were doing them “right”? This article by veteran teacher Kelly Williams has you covered."

How to : plan and prepare, schedule, decide a structure, decide roles and what to share. This resource includes a sample parent letter.

This assignment will go viral with students as they think about the meanings of words and images in public service announcements from YouTube before creating a PSA of their own.

Engaging and building trust with parents and creating supportive home-to-school connections is critical to new-teacher success; find resources to get started here.

Parents matter in education. They matter as vital partners who contribute much to the work of our educators, schools, and communities. They matter as parent leaders, parent mentors, and models of commitment to excellent in education, and they matter everyday as they influence and support their children’s academic
achievement. (From the included document)