Facilitate family-to-family support 

Create a welcoming environment where families can learn from each other and have opportunities to participate in district, campus, and classroom events, such as:  

• Meet-the-Teacher
• Campus Family Nights
• Volunteer Opportunities
• PTA/PTO Involvement
• Parent and Family Engagement Academies
• Early Literacy Clubs
• Parenting Education Classes
• Parent Conferences
• Parent and Family Engagement Newsletter
• Monthly workshops on various topics of interest that empower parents to learn from each other

Establish a network of community resources 

Create a network of resources that will benefit prekindergarten families as needed, such as:

• Establish and maintain partnerships with businesses and community agencies
• Continue partnership with Fort Cavazos to identify resources available for military families
• Utilize campus contacts to identify needs and refer parents to appropriate resources
• Provide translators and resources in Spanish when needed
• Provide access to CLI Engage parent resources

Increase family participation in decision-making 

Collaborate with families to develop strategies to solve problems and clearly define goals.

• Parent Advisory Committee
• Campus SBDM Committee
• Committee to develop the School-Parent Compact (Title I schools)
• District Family Engagement Survey
• Feedback after Family Nights and other campus events
• Parent conferences

Equip families with tools to enhance and extend learning 

Equip families with resources that are developmentally appropriate to create a home learning environment. 

• Campus Literacy and Math Family Events
• CLI Engage parent resources
• Parent Conferences
• PreK Round-Up (includes providing parents with TEA Parent Guides)
• Summer Backpack Program – families can check out grade level specific materials to review and maintain academic skills learned during the year
• Summer Early Learners’ Club – mini-literacy classes for preschool children and their parents
• Parent Education classes such as Computers for Parents, ELL/ESL classes, and GED/High School Equivalency classes (ELL and GED classes are available through a partnership with Central Texas College)
• Quarterly Newsletters
• KISD Parent Specialist support during parent-teacher conferences

Develop staff skills in evidence-based practices that support families in meeting their children’s learning benchmarks  

Provide essential professional development for teachers that will enable them to support families so that their children reach learning benchmarks. 

• Provide professional development on academic and social/emotional topics
• Provide training for teachers on using the CLI Engage/CIRCLE Progress Monitoring Parent Communication Platform
• Provide ongoing family engagement training to campus Parent Liaisons
• Hold monthly meetings with campus contacts

Evaluate family engagement efforts and use evaluations for continuous improvement 

Trainings, workshops, and parent and family engagement activities are followed with an evaluation, which provides parents the opportunity to express their views on the value of the activity.

• Conduct surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of family events in equipping parents to assist their children with literacy and math skills and the overall Family Engagement program
• Use survey results to provide valuable information in planning, developing, and implementing prekindergarten activities
• Revise/review the District Family Engagement Plan annually

If you have any questions, contact Deborah Holloway, Early Childhood District Instructional Specialist, at 254-336-0322.