Assignment task: Family Engagement Plan
Educators and families play important and intertwining roles in the overall development of children. When teachers work alongside families, they are more likely to see success in children reaching their academic, social, and developmental milestones. As you are learning, parent involvement is a powerful influence on children's success in school. However, effective family engagement takes work. As a teacher, it is your role to initiate this involvement by getting to know your families, building relationships, and involving them actively throughout the year.
This week you will submit a "Family Engagement Plan" for the classroom that you chose in the discussion to base your work around for the rest of this course (Preschool Classroom, 4K or 5K Classroom, or First-Grade Classroom). For this assignment, you will consider ways in which you could plan to build this family engagement plan through purposeful events and opportunities to get to know and involve them in their child's education using the following scenario:
Imagine your administrator called a staff meeting and shared that the school-wide goal for the year is to increase family engagement as a part of fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive classroom community. She tasked all teachers with submitting a written plan by the end of the week sharing different events or opportunities you will develop to encourage that family engagement piece for families of your students.
To prepare:
Complete the Characteristics of Diverse and Inclusive Environments (Interactive) Learning Activity before participating in this assignment.
Read Chapter 18: Creating Spaces for Families and Teachers.
Read Engaging Families in Early Childhood Education
Read The Effects of School-Based Parental Involvement on Academic Achievement at the Child and Elementary School Level: A Longitudinal Study
Review Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Early Childhood Classroom
Watch ODE Early Childhood: Fostering Diversity and Inclusion
Preschool Classroom
A 2/3-year-old classroom of 12 students. In the room you have one student Maria who comes from a home where Spanish is only spoken. Maria's parents seem very interested in supporting her, but language is a barrier for them to communicate their needs to you. You also have one child Johnny who has cognitive and physical delays which require him to work with an aid most of the time when he is in your room. Johnny's mom is very worried about him and would like to schedule regular meetings with you to review his goals and progress throughout the year. Then, you have a 3-year-old boy Michael who is living with a foster family after being moved around a bit. The family is overwhelmed trying to help him manage his behavior and he tends to lash out at other children often.
Assignment Instructions:
Part 1: Parent Welcome
Using the tool of your choice (video, Microsoft Word, Canva, etc.) create a parent welcome video, newsletter, or other resource that addresses the following:
Introduce yourself as their child's teacher and give a little background about yourself.
Explain why you believe in the importance of family involvement in education.
Include a way for parents to reach you or contact you if they need assistance going forward in the school year.
Part 2: Family Engagement Plan
Using the tool of your choice (Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Canva, etc.) develop a Family Engagement Plan for your administrator. In your plan, address the following:
Describe three separate and unique family events you will utilize during the year to engage and build community with families.
Explain how each of these three events supports a plan to engage and build community with families.
Justify how your plan is inclusive and equitable to the needs of diverse students and their families.