I stay involved with my kid’s school. I am volunteering all the time. I keep in good contact with their teachers, we talk about their day, and we read together.

I like to volunteer in my daughter’s class to see what the routine is, how the teachers interact with the kids and what they are learning. I also like to chat with her teacher for a few minutes when I pick her up. That way I can help tailor activities/reading at home to support what they are doing in school.

I stay involved with my son’s education by asking a lot of questions. He isn’t always the one to come and tell me what’s going on at school -so I ask open ended questions to get him talking about his day, his classes, what he’s learning, what he loves, and what he wishes were different. I also visit his school website for updates from his teachers on projects and grades. It takes time to do these things, but they are worth it!

I ask my child so what did you learn today that you did not know yesterday?
Learning starts at home and continues at school and then is strengthened at home.

Family involvement in a child’s education is critical to success. We can’t ignore our children. They look to us for help and assistance and we owe it to them to give them all we can.

We make an effort every night to help our 2nd grader with all her homework and reading. She has the chance to do her work at after school care but we’ve elected to have her wait. Sure, we’re pressed for time in the evening but we make the time to give our attention to her for as long as necessary to complete the work and reading.

Parent teacher conferences are great but we also take an extra step to email our daughter’s teacher regularly for updates. Showing and doing these steps makes us feel like we’re doing the right things to ensure our child has a great education.

Thanks for the giveaway!

As a former school librarian having access to a multitude of books is important for readers. I donate new books for classroom giveaways many times a year so students have their own books to take home and read.

One of the main ways parents can help their child is to communicate with the teacher. If they have a question, write them a note. I always send home parent notes so they will know what we are doing for the month and what their child is learning in the different subject areas. I think the more informed parents are, the more they can help their child have a positive experience while learning at school!

I try to visit the class and volunteer in various event. When I am there I get to see up close how, the kids involve with each other, and how they react with the teachers. It is a great learning point for me. There is a lot of learning happening in a good school, but coming prepared from home is a necessity. We always emphasize on each season while reading books or making crafts so my kids can understand the sequence of events happening through hands on experience.

Most importantly it is important to communicate openly with your child and teacher, and to read what comes home in his/her book bag. It is also important to develop achieveable stretch academic goals with your child and to make sure you and s/he let the teacher know what they are. Also as school resources are scarce these days it is important to think about what skills you have which could benefit the school and you feel you have the time to give. I work long hours so I offer to help on things I can do at home in the evening (such as drafting a slide show as a backdrop for a 1st grade performance). My son knows that I am involved in his school and is proud of that. It also makes him more willing to share what is going on for him in school on a daily basis.

Integrating “education” into family life is easy and fun! Read books aloud together. Our children love it when we make up voices and read with feeling. Put away electronic gadgets when you are together as a family. Sitting at a restaurant table is a time to connect – discuss the days events or just play “I Spy.”

The same goes for grocery shopping. Make your child in charge of your list and ask him to help you find items. Then ask questions about different items. “What color is an eggplant? Where are oranges grown in the US? Which direction we go – right or left? How much are we paying per ounce for this cereal?” Keep a running dialogue going as you shop.

Being involved in our children’s education doesn’t have to be formal or take a lot of time. It’s engaging in the little moments of everyday family life.

I think the most important thing we can do for our children is to speak positively about school, their teachers, and learning. Always be exploring.

I’m not above bribery when it comes to getting my kids excited about school! A big test? I’ll make a special breakfast. A social studies project? We’ll head to the library and choose some relevant books. A homework assignment that was a tough but fun challenge – posted on the fridge for a week. Kids appreciate tangible rewards for the often intangible, harder to grasp reward of learning and succeeding in school. Making your child feel recognized and special is the parents’ job!

We have Title I Parent Night, Homework Help Night, and a Talent Show where parents are encouraged to attend and get involved! Getting parents on your side is beneficial to me as a teacher, and I love the support I receive from home. Parents are a blessing in the child’s life and also the teacher’s!

It’s so important to be involved in my kids school, but it’s become even more challenging to do that as they’ve aged out of elementary school. I stay involved by making sure I know what’s going on at school through lots of conversation with my kids..and then extending their learning, whether it’s through introducing them to new books, news stories or even movies about certain subjects or by taking them places that relate to what they are studying…the science museum, planetarium, state capitol. And then we talk some more!