Developing High-Quality Family Involvment Programs in Early Childhood Setting

1. Headstart is a national,federally funded, community based program for children from families with low incomes and thier parents.

2. One of the most accurate predictors of acheivement in school is the extent to which parents beleive they can be key resources in their children's education and become involved at school and in the community.

3. An early childhood program is a community of families, teachers, and neighborhood residents acepting mutual responsibility for sustaining and enhancing relationships that promote children's success.

4. Some of the road blocks to establishing parent involvement in early childhood programs are teacher's concerns over the ability of parents to maintain confidentiality, to not knowing how to effectively recruit, use or supervise volunteers. Also, parents often feel they do not have the time to volunteer or do not know what they can do to help. Last, teachers often feel they do not have the time to prepare activities for volunteers.

5. Some ways to establish parent involvement are to develop a short survey or meet with other staff to determine where, besides the classrooms (office, kitchen, bus, playground, at home) parents can make contributions and in what ways.

6. The difference between culture at home and the one at school can be promoted by having parents and teachers talk often and get to know and understand each other's perspectives, behaviors, and interactions. Also, the school can show respect by asking parents to help create signs that hang on each entrance of the school and each classroom that say "welcome" in all the languages spoken by families in the program. The written materials for families should also be translated into languages spoken in their homes. Last, holiday celebrations should be respectful and inclusive of the cultures of all families.

7. The benefit of having a good orientation is that it eases anxiety and confusion, alleviates fears, and increases the chances of parents maintaining a long-term relationship with the program. A good orientation sets the tone and helps create the environment in which families will participate.

8. An effective orientation familiarizes the parent or community member with the school's facilities and staff, the program's philosophy and curriculum, and relevant policies, and procedures on confidentiality, discipline and attendance as outlined in a family handbook. Orientation should focus on volunteer job descriptions and expectations, how volunteers are supervised, and how volunteers should check in and record their hours, as required by Head Start.

9. Parents who cannot come in to the classroom can design and update the centers web page if they have access to a computer, or they can create a newsletter, or design forms and stationary. Other things families can do while at home include creating home made learning games and toys for the classroom, reading and tape-recording stories or music, sewing costumes and uniforms for the dramatic play area, or making curtains for puppet theater.

10. Teachers can support the children and their families at home by preparing exploration kits for use at home. These kits can contain videos, books, learning toys or games, and index cards or parent-child activity ideas that focus on a particular topic.