Parent Leadership & Advocacy at Family Connections

The primary goal of Family Connections' parent education, leadership and advocacy component is to help parents gain the skills and confidence to become lifelong leaders and advocates for their children. Each parent who enters Family Connections arrives with a different set of expectations. We work with parents to help them identify attainable goals and give them opportunities to take on leadership and advocacy roles throughout the school year.

Parents Taking on Classroom Responsibilities

Parents are encouraged to take an active role in Family Connections from day one. Each parent selects a job that they are expected to carry out during the school year. For example, one parent may be in charge of organizing field trips and another may keep track of which families are signed up to bring snack. The role of the Family Connections staff is to encourage parents to stay on task and to cooperate as a community.

Parents Identifying Family Goals

Several weeks into the school year, parents fill out a family goal sheet that sets the stage for what they hope to learn throughout the year. Parents identify goals not only for themselves, but also for their children. The education staff helps parents think about developmentally appropriate goals for their children, and they also encourage parents to choose one or two attainable and specific parenting goals for themselves.

Parents Presenting New Ideas

Parents also participate monthly in Family Forums. During these discussions, which happen both formally and informally, parents are encouraged to share new ideas about improving the school. For example, parents might make suggestions about the format of class, or topics in parent education they would like to discuss. This is also a chance for parents to discuss activities happening during the school day and to evaluate what is and isn't working well.

Fathers & Male Caregivers Participating

Family Connections has monthly family nights, monthly field trips and several other opportunities that encourage fathers and male caregivers to participate in their children's education. During family nights, mothers and fathers attend teacher-lead discussions together.

Parents Sharing Their Stories

There are several opportunities throughout the school year for parents to address local governments, service organizations and other school groups. Parents who indicate an interest work with program staff on speaking and addressing different audiences. Parents learn how to articulate their stories and to express their family's growth throughout their involvement with Family Connections.

Parents Mentoring Parents

This is a new opportunity for parents to share what they have learned with another parent. Parents who have participated in public speaking events or who have taken on higher job responsibilities in the classroom will be encouraged to mentor less experienced parents.