Type 1 Parent Involvement: Basic Responsibilities of Families

Sample Activities That Support and Assist Parents in Parenting and Child-Rearing Practices

1. Provide ongoing information to all parents in a variety of ways:
   • workshop, parent education, and grade-level meetings
   • newsletters and pamphlets
   • videos and audiotapes
   • school websites and email
   • computerized phone messages
2. Establish a parent resource room—a family-friendly center where parents can come together and discuss parenting issues and check out resources and materials.
3. Organize a family support program—encourage parents to organize a parent-led support group where families can connect and share their experiences and their knowledge with each other.
4. Provide home-visit opportunities for teachers to learn and to become more aware of the families, as well as for the families to understand school expectations.
5. Provide information on community services, such as free immunizations and clinics, services offered by social services, community parent education, parent-child community activities, and religious services. (Epstein, 2001; National PTA, 2000)

Tips on Successful Planning and Implementation of Parenting Activities

1. Relevance and meaningfulness of topics. It is critical that topics selected are relevant and meaningful for parents regarding the age or grade level of their children. An ongoing survey of needs and wants from parents is highly recommended throughout the year. The survey allows the parents to be a part of the decision-making process when their topics of interest are selected and presented.
2. Disseminate information to all families. Information should be distributed to all parents regardless of whether they are able to attend workshops or parent meetings. Workshops should not be limited to school premises; instead, the content of topics discussed can be viewed, heard, or read at times and locations that are convenient for the families (Epstein, 2001). For example, the workshops can be videotaped or audiotaped, allowing families to receive the information at their convenience. Workshops can be summarized and put in a variety of forms, such as newsletters, school websites, or computerized phone messages. Parents can read them at home, in the school's parent room, or public library. Allow parents who were unable to attend meetings or workshops to discuss them online with other parents and speakers.
3. Provide sufficient notice to parents. Workshops or meetings that require parents to come together at the same time and place need sufficient notice. Such notice should include location, date, and time of the meeting, a brief description of the topic, and name of the presenter of the workshop.
4. Location should vary. Workshops may be offered at the school building as well as other locations in the community that represent families' neighborhoods.
5. Time schedules. Workshop information should be made available at various times rather than one scheduled time. Additionally, families have other obligations; therefore a conscious effort to start and end on time is critical.
6. Concise, clear, easy to understand information. Ongoing verbal and written information on parenting should be concise and clear and should use plain language that is free from educational jargon. Translation of information is needed for families whose first language is not English. (Epstein, 2001; National PTA, 2000)