Running head: FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PLAN 1

Family Involvement Plan

Ellyn E. Culotta & Gabrielle C. Brunet

Louisiana State University

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Family Involvement Plan

(Burnet) Family involvement in education is vital to student success. Children benefit

tremendously when parents are involved in their education. The evidence of the impact that

parent involvement has on student success is undeniable. It affects all aspects of a childs

education and promotes social growth. Students with involved parents, no matter their race,

ethnic group, income or background, have many advantages. They earn higher grades and test

scores, have better attendance and more homework done, have more positive attitudes and and

better social skills and behavior, and a greater enrollment in postsecondary education than those

with disinterested mothers and fathers. This is because "many of the dispositions, feelings about

learning and school, and commitment to study begin at home" (Dirscoll & Nagel, 2010). The

more involved the parents are, the better off the child will be. Active, engaged parents translate

to active, engaged students, who complete their schoolwork, go to class, and gain a better

education.

Parents should take on the role as teachers, learners, supporters, and advocates of their

childs learning. Studies show that when parents are involved and interested, students tend to

take more responsibility for their own learning and behavior. The one aspect of parent

involvement that seems to have the most impact on student achievement is parental expectations.

Students tend to achieve more when their parents expect more. The elementary age is the most

crucial time for parents to get involved in their childs education. Parents are their childs first

teacher. Parents are the most influential position to shape their childs future. They have a greater

opportunity to make a difference, teach, model and guide their childrens learning more than

anyone else. The support of a parent is the single most important factor in predicting success in

school for young children. Nothing affects the academic outcome of a child as much as the
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involvement of a parent. Parents who make it a point to get involved with their childs education

are communicating the importance of education to their child.

No one is better placed or more qualified than a childs parent to make a difference in

their life. Parents need to be there for a child to succeed, their presence alone can even have the

greatest impact. If a mother is involved on campus or in the classroom, it is easier for her child to

do well. She is able to know the due dates of assignments and then help her child complete the

assignments. It is easier for a child to thrive when their parent is there with them along the way.

Parents are the vast resource that must be drawn on to increase student learning. There are a

variety of ways in which a parent can get involved. This can range from communicating

frequently, maintaining a positive relationship and collaborative partnership with the teacher,

being encouraging at home and helping with homework, and directly participating and

volunteering in the classroom.

Observed Family Involvement/Engagement Plan

(Culotta) At Westdale Heights Academic Magnet, my kindergarten, mentor teacher

focuses a lot of her attention on keeping the parents informed and involved. There is a weekly

newsletter that is sent home with each child to inform the parents of what is going on in the

classroom. At the top, the date is listed next to the important dates to mark in the parents

calendar. Then, the newsletter is broken down into three sections, which include the week in

focus, questions for parents to ask their children, and then a letter to the parents. In this letter, my

mentor teacher notifies the parents of what went well in the classroom during the week and how

she will incorporate the weekly theme into each subject. My mentor teacher also sent out a

newsletter via email and in the students folders in the beginning of the year for ways to parents

to get involved. The parents are encouraged to be a lunch helper, party helper, reading buddy,
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and field trip chaperone. There are no requirements of the parents to participate in a particular

event however, they are encouraged to come help in the classroom when they can.

(Culotta) My mentor teachers methods of communication have been effective in the

past. She sees a high rate of parent volunteers in her classroom as well as positive feedback from

the parents themselves. She has sent a couple of surveys out in the past couple of years to her

parents and they have commented that the newsletters are informative and worth reading. The

newsletters are brief and organized to where the parents do not need to spend lots of time reading

them in order to get all the important information. The newsletters and volunteer options are also

very helpful for parents who would like to get involved because the hours are flexible. Even if it

is in the questions section of the newsletters that the parents are having those in-depth

conversations with their children the parent is getting more involved.

(Brunet) In Gabrielles classroom, her mentor teacher does a phenomenal job of

communicating with and involving parents in the classroom. At the beginning of the year, she

offers a meet and greet for the parents and their child to briefly come in and get to know each

other and become familiar with the classroom. It is also an optimal time to discuss expectations

for communication and participation and go more in depth about the curriculum, schedule, and

goals in her classroom. She is a good communicator with parents, always keeping them up to

date with what their child is doing from day to day. She stays intimately connected through an

interactive mobile app called Remind and Class Dojo. Remind is an easy way of communicating

with parents in a quick and effective way as well as a form of tracking the good or mistaken

behaviors of individual students. The great thing about the Remind system is the ability to send

reminders about homework or upcoming events, communicate encouraging messages, and

digitally share pictures and materials. It is a free service that allows users to send/receive text
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messages without requiring the sharing of phone numbers. She also uses Class Dojo to update

and notify parents of behavior, as it includes the option to send a childs daily report straight to

their parent. Her methods and tools of staying connected with the parents provide very effective

communication and collaboration. It is noticed consistently that the parents who are involved in

their childs education and classroom affect their success. It is a certainty backed by my mentor

teacher who is constantly aware of the results firsthand and points them out to me as well.

Family Involvement/Engagement Plan

(Culotta) The families at Westdale Heights Academic Magnet have very high

involvement rates in the school and then their childrens specific classrooms. The community is

inviting and willing to help in any way possible. After having observed multiple interactions

between families and teachers, the most common would have to be the lunch helper. This just

means that parents come to eat lunch with their children and help open the kids lunches if they

need it. Then, sometimes the family member will come back to the classroom to read a story. In

turn, students learn more about their classmates families and vice versa. The family members

who come read to the class after having brought their own book in the past. This is another

insight on what this family likes to read together and the valuable lessons that come from reading

these childrens books. For example, the other day a little girls grandmother, sister, and mother

joined her and her classmates for lunch. Then, they all at on the rug and read a book called Stop

Bully Stop! by Germaine Scalisi Lattier. Through sharing this family book with the class

students benefited from the message the book portrayed. The students learned more about which

actions made someone a bully, how to stop bullying from happening, and also what others would

feel like if they were being bullied. This is just one example of the valuable life lessons family

members bring into the classroom through their involvement. Some other examples of strengths
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these families bring to the classroom include, more group reading time, diverse family traditions,

or valuable social skills. Each of which have been displayed throughout the semesters in

different scenarios.

(Culotta) Establishing relationships with families. As one of the key components to

creating a successful classroom, parents and teachers alike need to establish positive

relationships from the beginning of the school year. Some would even argue that this needs to

occur the summer before students even begin school. For example, my mentor teacher emailed

all of her students parents over the summer when they received their class lists. This way she

could introduce herself and entice them to come to the first general parent and teacher meeting to

gather all the information necessary to start kindergarten. This form of family involvement aligns

with the developmentally appropriate practices of establishing reciprocal relationships with

families during the kindergarten years. Copple and Bredekamp state that teachers,

administrators, and school staff [should] work to foster supportive relationships with families

throughout the school year (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009, p. 252). This supports my mentor

teachers practices of reaching out to parents before school starts and follows through to her

parent teacher conferences throughout the year. This practice of reaching out to parents before

school begins is something I look forward to trying and using in my own classroom. With a good

foundation of positive family and parent relationships the classroom becomes and even more

positive place for the children involved.

Another way to involve families in the classroom and establish positive relationships, is

through communication. According to the fifth guideline of developmentally appropriate

practice, teachers should establish reciprocal relationships with families (Copple &

Bredekamp, 2009, p. 22). Within this guideline, the word reciprocal is valuable because it means
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that there are two parties involved, in this case the families and the teacher. Both parties work

together with respect and cater to the needs of the child before putting their own beliefs first. As

a teacher who is just starting out, this firm foundation in using the family as a partner will help

find out more information about the children in my class. Communication will remain

professional whether in person, through email, or scheduled conferences. My mentor teacher

thus far has displayed various examples of how professionalism have kept things running

smoothly in her classroom. She has also demonstrated that as a teacher, we should not give our

personal cell phone number to the parents. She gave one parent the privilege of having her phone

number because she was working very closely with this family on interventions and the mother

texted my mentor teacher at 10:00pm. Parents do not always realize that this is unprofessional

and inconvenient for the teacher. By practicing good communication skills and year-round

communication, I will stay informed as much as possible, which in turn means that I can provide

more assistance to the families and students who need extra support.

(Culotta) Gathering information from families. After testing a child for about three

months, my mentor teacher called in a childs parents because she was conserved that he was not

progressing as quickly as the other students. It was not until the mother came into the parent

teacher conference that my teacher was able to gather more information about this childs home

life. Once my mentor teacher and I found out that the child was not sleeping at night and that the

mother had a hard time controlling the child, we understood why the child did not want to do

anything we asked of him at school. The lack of sleep is also something that we concluded was

making it more difficult for this child to focus and retain the information being presented.

Without having gathered this important information from the childs mother, the child may still

be struggling in school, which could have ultimately lead him to fail kindergarten. This example
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that I witnessed over the course of the semester has taught me just how important it is to gather

as much information as an educator before making snapped judgements of whether a child has a

learning disability or not.

Within the second guideline of developmentally appropriate practices, Copple and

Bredekamp (2009) state that teachers make it a priority to know each child well, and also the

people most significant in the childs life (p. 17). This is a prime example of how to gather

information based on the children and families in the classroom. Knowing each child will help to

better understand their learning styles and where they come form based on their sayings and

actions. Information gathering is important in early childhood classrooms because this makes

teachers more alert and able to recognize stress in the children. Thus, notifying the teacher of

when something is not right or a situation needs attention. Directly talking to the children and

their family members daily establishes more trust, which also results in more information

majority of the time. I have learned the importance of gathering all of the information before

making judgements before assuming a disability or a behavior issue. These are not topics that

can be taken lightly, especially in a classroom setting. Therefore, gathering all the information

informs the teacher if a child is having an off day or is actually struggling.

(Culotta) Keeping families informed. One of the most effective ways teachers can keep

families informed is through direct communication. This can take place after school or during a

lunch break maybe, whatever accommodates the family most comfortably. I observed a parent

teacher conference that was called to discuss a child who was struggling academically. My

mentor teacher had all the evidence to show that this child was not progressing as quickly as he

should have been and therefore she made it a point to talk to the family. The mother, my mentor

teacher, and I sat down to discuss what types of intervention would be most appropriate for the
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child. This is an example of teachers and families mak[ing] decisions together regarding

learning goals and approaches to learning that are suitable for the individual (Copple &

Bredekamp, 2009, p. 251). A developmentally appropriate practice such as this one, exemplifies

the importance of families staying informed. The more informed the teachers and families are the

more likely they are to work together and help the child most effectively. This is an important

practice that I too plan on using as an early childhood educator.

My mentor teacher also keeps a steady form of weekly communication going through her

weekly newsletters. The extra thought and time that go into making these newsletters each week

are important due to the valuable information they each contain. Parents easily note the

important dates listed or questions to ask their children. This is a more general way of keeping

parents informed because most teachers do not have time to write out how each specific child is

doing each week. This method of using the weekly newsletters also keeps families informed

about the best times that they are welcomes to visit the classroom (Copple & Bredekamp,

2009, p. 252). Parents could then bring in their own personal experiences and stories to share

with the students if everything aligns with the theme of the week. After observing how engaged

the students are when their parents engage with them about what they are learning, I see the real

effects of how important it is to keep families involved whether there is a need for intervention

or not.

(Brunet) Establishing two-way communication. The most important people in a childs

life are his or her parents; therefore, it is extremely important for a teacher to establish and foster

positive reciprocal relationships with the parents of her students. It is important that this

partnership is developed at the beginning of the year, rather than when an issue arises, and that

there is communication and respect on both ends. My mentor teacher does an excellent job of
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maintaining constructive and upbeat partnerships with parents. She is consistent in her job of

upholding frequent, positive, two-way communication and keeping parents up to date with their

child, while also building strong bonds with each of her students. She is able to do this primarily

through an interactive app called Remind. Remind is an easy form of day-to-day communication

with parents in a quick and effective way as well as a method of tracking the good or mistaken

behaviors of individual students. What my teacher and I love most about Remind is the ability to

set reminders for parents, regularly send class photos and homework handouts, and that the

communication does not just flow one way. It is a collaborative process with symmetrical two-

way communication. She is provides parents with the particulars about what their child said or

did that day: what he/she is exploring, learning, and achieving in the class, and parents can

respond and ask questions specific to their students education and receive personalized

feedback. Teacher-parent communication is important in achieving a degree of consistency in

the ways that the significant adults in the childs life guide and relate to that child (Copple &

Bredekamp, 2009, p. 45).

(Brunet) Integrating families into the program. Often in the early childhood classroom

the main focus is the safety and education of young children, and little consideration is made to

the role of the parents and family members, both as dynamic participants and part of the

everyday curriculum. An effective teacher recognizes that families are an invaluable source of

information about their child as an individual, and she understands that a family wants to know

that their knowledge and insights are regarded as important (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009, p.

45). The teacher acknowledge[es] parents choices and goals for their child and respond[s] with

sensitivity and respect to their preferences and concerns (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009, p. 45). It

is imperative to remember that parents and families are the experts on their own children.
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Their presence through daily participation in play and projects, should be deemed a predominant

part of a childs success. It is very important that families take a pivotal role, and this can be

encouraged by the attitude of the teacher and the curriculum used in the classroom. By drawing

on each familys in-depth knowledge of their child, the teacher can learn about their home and

community environment, including its cultural dimensions. This is critical in making classroom

decisions that are appropriate for each child, as well as fostering positive relationships with the

parents themselves (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009, p. 45 ).

When students first enter the classroom, it is essential for a teacher to create a warm

welcoming environment for both the students and their families. It is important that teachers

build an ongoing positive, goal-oriented relationship with their students families so that they can

work together to provide an overall effective learning experience for the young children.

Teachers and parents are a partnership, working for the best interests of the child. Young

children feel more secure when they see that the adults who care about them share trust and

respect (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009, p. 45). It is important that parents feel welcome in their

childs classroom setting at all times and inviting their participation in the program. My mentor

teacher takes intentional steps to involve the parents of her students in the program and integrate

family life into the classroom in many ways. The parents and guardians of the students are

always invited to take an active role in planning and chaperoning field trips, coordinating class

parties, volunteering in the classroom, and participating in on campus committees and clubs. Not

only does she bring them in directly, but through activities that allow the children to think about

their families frequently throughout the day as well. My favorite family integration method of

hers is a kindergarten scrapbook she makes every year. At the beginning of each school year, she

asks parents to cut and paste pictures of the student, their family members and pets, activities
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they enjoy doing together, vacations they went on, etc. to create a special collage. Once the

collages are sent back to her, she adds them to a book creating a beautiful visual tribute to the

families and puts it in the book center for them to look at. Once when asked what led her to start

making that, she answered, Because it helps me to get to know them more personally and

reminds me that these babies are someone elses babies. Another wonderful way to bring the

family into the classroom is to invite family members in and give them opportunities to

participate in ways that are comfortable, such as observe, read to the children, or share hobbies,

cultural traditions, skills, or interests with the students. Not only is this a great learning

experience and a special opportunity for a child to see and take pride in his or her own family,

but it also shines light on families unique stories and teaches that diversity is appreciated and

valued in the classroom.

(Brunet) Providing family education. Something unique to Westdale Heights is the

amount of parent involvement inside and outside of the classroom. The parents of these students

are eager to get involved and very cooperative when it comes to classroom involvement. It is

important to educate families with off campus resources to involve parents and help families who

may need assistance in financial, emergency, or at home situations. Teachers should identify and

make a compilation of useful resources in a resource guide available for students and parents to

utilize. It is important to be prepared to lead parents with all different needs and concerns for

their children to types of resources. Information for law enforcement officers and emergency

services are a few important resources to refer to all members of the school community to

services for both ongoing and emergent health and human services needs. The local Police

Department, Sheriffs Department, Fire Station, 24 Hour Emergency room, and Crisis

Intervention Center are the most important to have in the case of a bad situation. It is also
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important to provide information for local, highly rated childcare and after care centers. These

resources are to help reassure parents that although they may be busy working and unable to pick

their child up and be with them after school, he or she is being cared for in a safe, stimulating,

and caring environment.

Additional resources for those who are financially struggling are important to identify

and make useful as well. Although only small percentage of the children at Westdale come from

a low-income family, it is essential to be prepared for any situation and provide resources to help

anyone with needs such as clothing, food, and school supplies. For example, the St. Vincent de

Paul Store and the Healing Place Church Food Pantry in Baton Rouge are awesome resources

available for families in need to take advantage of, and some may not even be aware of them

Also, as I was doing research, I found out that every year before school starts several different

organizations hold supply drives and backpack giveaways. I would list the information for the

Salvation Army Backpack/supply drive in the guide along with the dates it is held. Many

families may not about these events. While the majority of the school population may not benefit

from this event, it is a good opportunity for those who can instead donate and help out those who

are less fortunate.

Resources for fun extracurricular activities that could benefit all members of the family

are important to pass on and add to the resource guide. Family bonding is very important. The

following places in Baton Rouge encourage this: YMCA, the Knock Knock Museum, The Little

Gym of Baton Rouge, Perkins Road Community Park, and the BREC Recreation Park. All of

these are great places that promote family fun and active child play.

Working Through Problems with Families

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(Culotta) My undergraduate research project is entitled Using Multi-Sensory

Intervention to Increase Numerical and Quantitative Awareness from 0 to 20 in Kindergarten

Age Children. My mentor teacher and I saw the need for the focus on numerical and

quantitative awareness due to a few of our students who were falling behind others in their class.

Parents are strongly encouraged to get on board with the interventions that were presented in this

research project. After school, parents and students could use any of three variables that include,

shaving cream, sand, or marshmallows to work on the childs understanding of numbers zero to

twenty. The parents would be instructed to smooth out the sand and shaving cream on a paper

plate. Then, allow the child to write any of the given numbers that they are struggling to identify.

Next, with the marshmallows the parents would check the students counting abilities to count the

marshmallows and put them in a ten-frame. By using a ten-frame the child should then be able to

count the marshmallows quicker and understand why this tool helps them. If for some reason

parents do not have time to work with their children in this much depth. They can still get

involved by using numbers to count and items to show the quantities. The research project is

family friendly and invites parents and children to interact in a unique, personal way.

(Brunet) Gabrielles undergraduate research project focuses on Letter Intervention. In my

kindergarten placement classroom, there is one specific student who has not yet mastered her

letters and sounds. My mentor teacher and I decided we needed to readjust her intervention plan

and bump it up a notch in terms of intensity. It is always difficult to find time in a jam-packed

school day, but mastering letters and sounds is really important and must take priority

immediately. Along with my in class one-on-one intervention, another way to implement this

plan and be sure the necessary intervention time is being appropriated is to teach the childs

parent how to teach and practice letters and sounds as well. Having the right activities available
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and directions for correctly using the activities is really important. My mentor teacher and I

collected roughly 7 activities for teaching letters and sounds and gathered them in a bag with the

directions for each activity. The alphabet bag can either be used at home or at school. However,

before beginning with the alphabet bags, it is important to know which sounds the student knows

and does not know. It all begins with a brief assessment. The student was first assessed using a

progress monitoring charts, and her progress will be tracked on the chart continuously. The

intervention session begins with letter flashcards. Following the flashcard review, the student

can choose one of the six teaching activities she wants to do next. The activities include: (1)

Dough Letters activity to use with the Play Doh, (2) Alphabet foam puzzle, (3) Multisensory

cards, (4 and 5) Dry erase boards and small Magnadoodle, (6) Alphabet chart and plastic screen

cover, and (7) Making Words activity with pictures and letter magnets. Specific directions for the

volunteer or parent are all included in the bag. This is how the alphabet intervention is organized

in a way that it can be completed at school or implemented successfully at home with the help of

the students parent.

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References

Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (Eds.). (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early

childhood programs: Serving children from birth through age 8. Washington, DC:

National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Dirscoll, A. & Nagel, N. G. (2008). Importance of early childhood education: Family

involvement. Early Childhood Education: Birth - 8: The World of Children, Families, and

Educators, 4th Edition, p. 194-196.

https://www.education.com/reference/article/research-family-involvement-early/