While schools have seen an influx of federal and state dollars for more services to combat the youth mental health crisis, parents have often been overlooked as allies. When supported with information, classes, and ongoing school engagement opportunities, parents can better identify signs of mental distress in their children and ways to increase…

National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) has long been focused on eradicating poverty through education solutions for families. One significant step toward this goal is to provide holistic learning opportunities through high-quality family literacy programming. The need for transformational literacy solutions has never been greater. Currently…

In recent years, the federal Department of Education (ED), and state and local educational agencies (SEAs and LEAs, respectively) have been increasing the emphasis on the need to engage parents and families of students in their children's education. Initiatives have sprung up across the fifty states and Washington, D.C. to help officials at the…

Collaborative partnerships between families and educators are recognized as significant factors related to children's academic success (Bettencourt et al., 2023). Additionally, parental involvement is positively correlated with early social emotional development (Stamou et al., 2023). Early childhood educators and leaders play an important role in…

Family Literacy is an intergenerational program that brings parents and preschool- or elementary-age children to school together. It can provide a depth in education that allows learning opportunities for children and the adults in their lives. As relationships are built, learning becomes circular between parents, children, and teachers. This…

A defining feature of Head Start is its whole-family approach where programs partner with parents and guardians to identify their strengths and needs, set goals, and access services to improve family wellbeing. However, little research evidence exists about how Head Start and Early Head Start staff members do this essential work. The "Head…

As the population of English language learners (ELLs) in schools increases, school leaders seek to build more culturally and linguistically sustaining school communities. Often, the first step in these efforts is to intentionally invite ELLs and their families to school-based events with the hope of involving parents in their children's formal…

Parents who participate in family literacy and family learning programs gain new skills and knowledge through Family Service Learning projects. They increase their social capital and self-efficacy, especially developing leadership and advocacy skills, when they focus on issues of concern and relevance on behalf of themselves and their children. A…

Wilder Research supported the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic Hub Team in planning the future HUB Model with data collection and interpretation. This report provides demographic data for Cook County children and families, a list of programs available for families, families' awareness of programs and challenges accessing them, and family needs and…

This report briefly summarizes some of the parent and family engagement services provided by Austin Independent School District staff during the 2015-2016 school year.

During the pandemic, there have been bipartisan calls for dramatically increased public funding for early education and care (EEC). As that money is being invested, more needs to be done to make it easier for families to exercise true choice--in which they have affordable, accessible, and high-quality options and the information they need to make…

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) services can improve the quality of life for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, not all children receive services based in ABA. The disconnect between available services and accessing services may be the result of families experiencing barriers. Online parent training addresses many of these…

A Family Geography Night (FGN) kit can be used to bring families together, teach about the world, give parents the opportunity to share their beliefs, and participate in the educational system while having fun! Geography is an essential element of twenty-first-century education. More than just maps, geography is the interaction of cultures,…

Early interventionists interact and partner with a multitude of families, all with unique strengths, backgrounds, and circumstances. During partnerships with family members, professionals may encounter interactions and relationships that they perceive as challenging or imbalanced. Skilled Dialogue is a framework which emphasizes the use of…

Charo Alarcón speaks about the work of Lumin Education in partnering with parents, Early Head Start, and a national program called Parents as Teachers (PAT) to come together to serve low-income families. Recognizing that parents cannot prioritize their child's education when they are putting all of their energy into meeting the basic needs of the…