Our team conducted 6 empathy interviews. In one with an educator, a parent shared: “My child’s teacher suggested that parents could be more involved socially and connect with each other. She would like to see a family/teacher/staff team approach and hoped parents would share more about their child with the teachers.” Examples like this led to our aspiration: To build opportunities for engagement.
The Kindergarten Fall Festival brought together families from our three elementary schools, programs that operate independently otherwise. Rather than hold the event at one of these sites, we partnered with the local fire department on a Saturday afternoon, when parents were freer to attend with their children. That was a novelty.
At the station there were fire trucks, uniforms, specialized equipment and everything that comes with being a fire fighter. The young children enjoyed it! Parents and their kindergartens enjoyed food, games, a take away bag, and the chance to socialize with the schools' teachers. Even the fact that everyone was dressed in casual clothes removed a barrier. Importantly, the kindergartners were invited to sign a big banner that noted their year of high school graduation. This common goal was a prominent, hopeful and unifying message. The atmosphere was relaxed, social and activity-rich, and provided the opportunity to unify school and parents.
We did a good job of bringing in kindergarten families at the Kindergarten Fall Festival but we needed to start to build trust with other elementary level grade levels and families. The following spring we hosted a "Story Walk" at another neutral site, a middle school. This time, first graders and their families were invited to the event along with kindergarten families. Scaling up in this way will be helped by support from the school's administration and through a planned partnership with a local university to provide a family engagement specialist who will be incorporated into our plan moving forward.
Surveys are helpful. The 57 we sent to transient families helped us learn that improving communication was a big need. Kindergarten registration is where we started. The logic? If we began with families entering our schools (at kindergarten), we could seize the opportunity to inspire engagement early to help families feel welcomed, informed, involved and motivated to stay in the district.
