Family involvement is a required and very important part of our program. There are many ways to be actively involved in your child’s Pre-Kindergarten education. These include:
• Home Visits
o At the beginning of the school year, your child’s teacher will schedule a time to come to your home and visit with you and your child. This is a wonderful way for children to meet their teachers and to begin to form a relationship with them. It is a relaxing, unintimidating time for teachers to share information about Pre-K and, more importantly, gain information from you about your child and family. Often the teacher will take a photograph of the family which will be in the classroom on the first day of school to help welcome the child and smooth the transition between home and school.
• Orientation/Classroom Visits
o Your family will be invited to the Pre-K classroom before school starts to participate in an orientation. Children will be able to look around the classroom, and families will be given important information about Pre-K. At other times during the year, families are welcome to visit the classroom, attend field trips, serve on committees, and volunteer in other ways.
• START sessions
o Each Pre-K classroom will hold a START session about every month. START stands for Share Time And Read Together. Pre-K families are invited to come to the classroom and become a part of their preschooler’s reading experience. In each session, the teacher will introduce a children’s book, modeling ways to read aloud and share the story with the children. The book then becomes a basis for discussion and some engaging activities. At the end of the session, each family may get to take home a book to read and share with the whole family. Families are sharing time and the value of reading with their children. As a result, reading becomes a family affair where books are used to strengthen the bond between families and children and to help develop literacy skills.
• Family Conferences
o Family conferences are held 3 times per year and are designed to share the progress of each child during that checkpoint. Teachers will share work samples and other artifacts to give families a good understanding of the strengths and successes of each child. Families can also request a conference any other time during the year.
• Family Advisory Council
o The Family Advisory Council is a committee made up of parents from each Pre-K classroom. This committee normally meets two (2) times each year and is asked to share input regarding the Pre-K program.
