100 Ways for a Parent to Be Involved in Their Child's Education

100 Ways for a Parent to Be Involved in Their Child's Education

http://www.alsde.edu/general/pta%20100%20ways.pdf

Family Literacy Bags

Questions you have with which your colleagues may be able to provide help and support.

What do you do when you might not get the feedback that you want from one parent but, the other parents have good feedback? 

Some of the resources that I am seeking is asking teachers that have used literacy bags in their classrooms and finding out how they thought it has helped the child. I am also asking parents whose child has brought a literacy bag home how they liked it and if they think it has helped them with parent involvement. 

One really great resource that I found was a book called Teaching Literacy in Kindergarten by Lea M. McGee & Lesley Mandel Morrow

(You can also use this book for  Preschool)

Some other great sites for finding literacy activities and ideas that I used are:

www.makinglearningfun.com

www.pinterest.com/kiriel/321/familytake-home-activitybags

reading rockets.org/article/31255

A Note of Thanks and Support

     "Parents have become so convinced that educators know what is best for children that they forget that they are the experts." ~Marian Wright Edelman, educator

Some of the ways that my colleagues have supported me is the feedback that they have given by saying that the Family Literacy Bags are a great idea and how it will help parents become more involved in their child's education. One colleague mentioned in a discussion post that,  she believes "the communication with families s critical to being an effective advocate for children and families". Another colleague thinks that  starting a reading program is a great idea.  There are a lot of resources that are out there that parents do not know about. A lot of parents have not even heard of literacy bags. A lot of parents do not realize the importance of reading and I hope that with these literacy bags that this will help the parents understand how just spending about twenty minutes or more with their child will help them later on with their education just by them taking the time to read a book to their child.

Some of the ways that I have supported my colleagues is by sending them names of books or articles on that particular topic. I have also given my personal experience if it applies to me. One of the things that I wish for my colleagues as they continue in their careers as professionals and advocates working with young children, their families, and other professionals in the early childhood field is that they continue working as an advocate even after this project is done that they make sure it continues to work even if it means someone else is in charge of it but, they get it started and but it must continue to improve and get better.

Blog 1

One of the things that inspires me about my advocacy plan is that I get to have a chance of having parents and families interact with their child at home by reading to them. I have always been excited about reading from when I was a little child to an adult. I love reading. I feel that all children should be able to have access to books and to be read to. As an advocate I feel that it is very important for parents to understand how important it is to read to your child every night. Through my advocacy plan I will be able to explain how literacy bags will help parents to interact with their children more every night.

I think one of the things that will help me to overcome any challenging emotions that I may be feeling with regard to presenting and implementing my Advocacy Action Plan is making sure that I get enough of the parent surveys back that way I can move on with my action plan and find out what the next step will be.

One way that I can encourage others in their advocacy efforts is have them interview someone that is in that field that they are doing their advocacy action plan on.  You can also use books, articles, online, and visit a dining facility where they cook the food that your center eats or interview them over the phone. For example, if someone is doing their action plan on how to change their lunch menu at their center they first need to have reasons on why it needs to be changed. The first thing you would do is find out what meals the children are eating and what they are not eating and then start your action plan from there.

Others can encourage me by asking me if I have interviewed teachers that have used literacy bags in their classrooms and if they saw a difference in the students from using the literacy bags. Did the children like the literacy bags? Did the parents like the literacy bags? What type of feedback did you get? Is this something that can be carried out where this can be done every year? Did you notice the children interested in reading books more now or before they started checking out literacy bags? Find articles, books, activities on Pintrest and online, asking other teachers and getting their feedback.

Another favorite quote of mine that relates to my advocacy plan

" Children are made readers on the lap of their parents."
   Emilie Buchwald

Becoming an Advocate

Once you learn to read, you will forever be free."
Frederick Douglass