Activities that Involve

Parents/FamiliesReported by:

MIGANO, Jan ChristineVILLAFLOR, Jane

IV-4 BECEd

School Activities

Adult Education Classes

To provide the community with opportunity to learn about a range of subjects.

Getting to Know You Night

Hold a Getting to Know You Night. Parents,

staff and children spend an informal evening getting to know each

other. Hold it somewhere other than the program building—a barbecue in the park, a potluck supper, or a

sporting event.

The Power of Three Hours

Volunteering in the classroom for just three hours over the course of the entire school year is

enough to make an impact. In fact, this idea is the

foundation of The National Parent-Teacher

Association's Three for Me program, encouraging and

guiding busy parents through different ways to

get involved at their children's schools.

Cultural Event

Organize a Cultural Event, where parents from specific cultures

plan and do the activities. If you have

several different cultures, you can host

several events. You can end with a cultural food

event for all the families in the class or

program.

Decision Activities

DECISION-MAKING

These activities enable families to participate in decisions about school programs by:• School Board membership• Distributing draft policies/issues

papers to parents for feedback • Including student

representatives alongside parents in decision-making

Hiring and Policy Making

Parents and community members can and should serve on communities that set policy and hire staffs.

Curriculum Development

The parents learn about and understand what constitutes a quality program and what is involved in a developmentally appropriate curriculum.

Sample ActivitiesExamples of activities schools could conduct to promote decision making include, but are not limited to:• Encouraging parents to attend school improvement

team meetings.• Assigning staff members to help parents address

concerns or complaints.• Inviting staff and parent groups to meet

collaboratively, providing space and time to do so.• Helping families advocate for each other.• Involving parents in: planning orientation programs for new families,

developing parenting skills programs, andhiring staff members.

Educational Activities

Read together every day.

Read to your child every day. Make this a warm and loving time when

the two of you can cuddle close

together. Bedtime is an especially great time for

reading together.

Participation in classroom and center

activitiesThose who are

involved must have guidance,

direction, and training. Involving parents and others as paid guides is an excellent way also to provide

employment and training.

Involvement of families on writing and individualized educational

programs (IEPs)Those who are

involved must have guidance, direction,

and training. Involving parents

and others as paid guides is an excellent way also to provide employment and

training.