ERIC/EECE Publications Digests
Planning for Parent Participation in Schools for Young Children Mick Coleman EDO-PS-91-9
Family and school represent the primary environments in which young children grow and develop. Today, the link between these institutions is taking on added significance as concern mounts over the challenges that preschools face in building or maintaining strong parent participation. In order to effectively meet the needs of all families, parent participation programs need to give equal consideration to the needs of all families represented in the class. Teachers can plan parent participation strategies for their own classroom through use of the following guides. Plan for Parent Participation A good place to begin is to document the barriers to parent involvement created by such factors as family structures (dual career, single parent, teenage parent) and family work schedules (full-time, job sharing, flex-time). This can be accomplished through parent-teacher conferences, telephone calls, or a short questionnaire. Documentation of the barriers to parent participation can be used to develop policies that are likely to work with the parent community. For example, more options may be needed as to when parent-teacher conferences are held (before, during, and after school), how they are held (face-to-face, by telephone, by computer, in small groups), or where they are held (at the school, in the home, at a neighborhood center, or at the parent's place of employment). | |
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