Family Engagement

The WHY for Family Engagement and Partnerships Welcoming and including families has benefits for all Families Students Our Program We want families to feel... Increased sense of belonging Trust in where they leave their student Trust in judgement of staff when issues arise We want students to have... Continuity More consistent boundary setting Importance of school emphasized when adults make it a priority as well Families more likely to... Help, donate, or participate Respond positively when approached about attendance, behavior, or academic concerns Support at home with continuity and boundary setting regarding behavioral expectations In what ways can what we do before, during, and after a behavioral incident shape our relationships with families and our students to the benefit of all? Families can be a help or hinderance to the goals of our program depending on how we engage them.

Module 1: Proactive Family Engagement Families comes in so many shapes and sizes. How do we set up a system to accommodate them all that benefits our program and students. Going back to our talk about implicit bias, how do our views determine who we reach out to, for what purposes, and when?

The WHY for Being Proactive QAP GOAL CONNECTION To support students’ sense of belonging through intentional community building activities To develop policies and structures that support positive behavior To develop a progressive response to challenging behavior Meeting families early and being a source of positive information puts “money in the bank” for when you have to talk about things like attendance or behavioral issues. The “money in the bank” strategy we use with students really works with all individuals, so how can we use this with families to ensure that we can maintain an effective and positive relationship through difficult issues. We also keep a continual focus on how these strategies connect with the QAP goals so that we are focused on providing the tools to support what we ask you to do in the QAP.

Criteria for Successful Family Engagement Activity 2 min write time 1 minute each to share during turn-n-talk with a partner Post on the strategy board Proactive Consistent 2-way Communication Includes strategies to involve working families What is one way you engage with families? Does it meet these criteria? If not, how can you modify to meet these criteria? Everyone likely has strategies for how they connect with families, but we want to focus on these criteria which help us to create systems that mitigate against our own individual biases coming into to play in our work. 1. We do not want to put off engagement as who is typically left out are our traditionally least reached families 2. Creating a consistent system of when engagement will happen and who is responsible allows us to keep it at the forefront when other things arise 2. We want to hear the voice of families as ultimately the program is for their children and many times communication is just a dictation of our own goals and values 4. There are many families who cannot participate in person, but how do we give an avenue to participate and continue to assume they would like to participate.

Challenges of Proactive Family Engagement Hearing what families want in a productive way... Sharing information... Getting families to participate... Time... Languages These are some challenges associated with family engagement. What are some other challenges?

Meeting Family Engagement Challenges Time Newsletters can be easily updated each month once a format is established. Getting productive feedback Parent feedback is limited to a smaller space on the page and at the end of all of this positive imagery of the program. Giving many opportunities for feedback allows people to communicate before they have pinned up frustration. Sharing information The newsletter can be posted around the school, emailed, or disseminated in other ways to reach more families. Participation Sharing opportunities to engage as well as an immediate way to respond with interest increases the chances for participation. Language Written documents can be translated either by after school staff, school day staff, family liaisons, or school administrators may submit to our district translation department. Google translate may also be an option. One strategy for engagement is a community newsletter. It helps us meet these challenges in many different ways. The important components of the newsletter are to let families know what has been happening, what is coming up in program, give updates on policies and structues, give opportunities to participate, let them know a bit about the staff who care for their children, and to give an avenue for feedback.

The same newsletter idea can also be made into a bulletin. By any other name... The same newsletter idea can also be made into a bulletin. Why a bulletin? Families can easily see things missed if a newsletter is lost. Different groupings can be made so that pictures and info can be posted by group which you may not have space for on the newsletter School day staff can also see the amazing things you are doing in after school Constant updating can occur for last minute needs or events Help the school look good so they will help you! The bulletin takes many of the same elements of the newsletter, but provides more space for doing class groupings, posting events, and handing out more copies of the newsletter if lost.

Using Technology Ease of use... Student Involvement... Upload pics from phone Update frequently Can connect quickly with parents who do not pick-up Student Involvement... Students can update the site and be involved in selecting and editing material Can be a privilege or special project Use it to keep in touch with former students who may want to come back and mentor Family Access and Feedback... Quick access for families Updates can show up directly on family member feeds May be a consistent contact for families who repeatedly change numbers or addresses More Information: http://www.sfusd.edu/en/family-and-community- support/family-partnerships-toolkit.html Using Technology Technology is so important to students and our families because it allows us to bridge connections with families of older students who may not do pick-up, who often change phone numbers, or with students who have graduated from our programs.

What are three ways you can be a resource for families? Give a little…..Take a little... Take 3 min to write your answer to the two questions below on a post-its. We can be a resource to each other by connecting with families in ways we did not think about before. What are three ways you can be a resource for families? What are three ways families can help you? We will compile of list of responses to give ideas of how you and others can engage families that have worked or are being tried in other programs.

Module 4 Parent Conferencing

Why Celebrate Parents as Partners? ● It is an opportunity to learn more about each student’s family and identify ways the school can support partnerships between home and school. ● Partnership provides an opportunity to connect with families from the outset and build relationships based on two-way communication: staff have an opportunity to hear about what matters most to families regarding their children’s education, and families have an opportunity to hear from staff. Focus on bold wording. Ask participants to read in silence - ask what stands out (1-2 popcorn out)

BEFORE THE CONFERENCE Check in with School Day Staff To get BASIS information Mirror school day behavior modification (if applicable) Build rapport with parents PRIOR to conflicts Say “Hello” and their name Say something positive about their child Be clear on goals the purpose of conference Plan ahead Give ample time for all parties to schedule to be present You are creating sustainable systems by being intention in what you do BEFORE, DURING and AFTER. They are similar things for a reason!

During Parent Conference Start By Strengths of the child What the child offers to the program What the staff value in the child Hear From Family Afterschool Staff School Day Staff (if applicable) Collaborate on Supports Checking with student on a (daily, weekly basis) Behavior Charts/Contracts Daily reflection Buddy system Involve the Student (e.g. “What I can do next time…”) · Rho Sham Bo, · Ask for help by raising hand · Student helper or ambassador

Follow up with Student and Family by.. Set Up Deadlines for Action Items: For agreements from student, staff, parent(s) Consequences or praises for modeling desired behavior Follow up date (if necessary) Check in with School Day Staff · Basis · Mirror school day behavior modification *Make it a practice to check in with parents with notes or phone calls when student is doing a great job or demonstrating desired behavior

If Harm Occurs, Have Restorative Conversations! A restorative conversation is any conversation in which an issue is approached with an open mind to: 1. Truly understand what happened 2. Authentically listen and provide a space where everyone involved authentically listens to one another 3. All voices are heard 4. Focus on the impact the situation/actions had on others and the larger community 5. Identify any unmet needs (especially for those harmed), and 6. Determine what needs to happen to make things as right as possible moving forward. If conflict happens between FAMILIES, DO NOT put them in a circle together. Conference separately with each family and have agreements about how the circle will take place. What norms they agree on to make a safe environment.