Research has shown that what happens at home can profoundly affect a child’s learning and healthy development.
Click on a grade level below for resources school staff can use to support parenting practices and family experiences that help children be well-prepared for school.
Preschool and Kindergarten
Articles
- Communicating With Parents During Sensitive or Difficult Situations
Links are provided to many resources related to practices that can help school staff talk with families about sensitive or difficult situations that involve a child in the program.
(2015) Illinois Early Learning Project - Connecting with Parents in the Early Years
This book covers a broad range of issues and related research regarding interactions between early childhood programs and the families they serve, including the role of relational trust and the need for a variety of ways of communicating with families.
(2003) Early Childhood & Parenting Collaborative - Families, Powered On: Improving Family Engagement in Early Childhood Education through Technology
This policy brief describes barriers that hinder family engagement and some ways that digital technologies may strengthen home-school communication and help families with their children’s learning at home.
(2014) RAND Corporation - Handbook on Family and Community Engagement
This collection of brief papers covers a wide range of topics related to family and community engagement, including the “curriculum of the home,” parents as leaders, and students’ readiness for college and career.
(2011) Academic Development Institute - Involving Refugee Parents in Their Children’s Education
This article addresses cultural, language/literacy, and logistical considerations often encountered by school staff when working with refugee families, and suggests optimal practices for engaging the families in their children’s schooling.
(2007) Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS) - PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships
NPTA’s standards, based on research into family involvement, are a useful resources for school personnel as they design and evaluate efforts to engage families.
(2009) National PTA (NPTA) - What Is Developmental Screening?
This IEL Tip Sheet defines “developmental screening,” briefly describes what is involved in a screening, and summarizes the parent’s role in screening.
(2014) Illinois Early Learning Project
Videos / webinars
- Best Practices in Family and Community Engagement
This collection of videos from the Office of Head Start covers a range of topics related to program/family relationships in the early years.
Office of Head Start - Engaging Teen Parents: Lessons from Teens about What Works for Them
This video (with transcript) about Head Start and Early Head Start provisions offers ideas to enhance program relationships with adolescent parents.
(2014) Office of Head Start - Resource Library: Video, Family
This page links to several CONNECT Module videos related to professional-family communication. Included are samples of real conversations from the beginning and later stages of a teacher-parent relationship.
Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge - School Community: Education
These professional development video clips address systematic ways that schools can be involved in parent education to promote students’ school success.
(2013) Academic Development Institute - The Role of Leadership – Strategies for Implementing and Sustaining Change
This Webinar discusses ways that early childhood program leadership can create opportunities for parent, family, and community engagement practices that promote positive family outcomes and children’s school readiness.
(2015) Office of Head Start
Podcasts
- How Domestic Violence In One Home Affects Every Child In A Class
This podcast, part of a series on mental health in schools, discusses the potential impact of domestic violence on classrooms. A key finding is that improvement is usually seen after a parent reports domestic abuse.
(2016) National Public Radio - Meet the Experts: Reading Rockets Podcasts
This podcast series provides parents and educators with opportunities to find out more about young children’s literacy learning and development.
(2010) Reading Rockets - Partnerships Between Home and School: The Real Missing Link?
Participants in this 39-minute podcast discuss the need for family engagement, policies and practices that create and maintain engagement, and barriers to achieving family engagement.
(2011) ASCD
Websites
- Coalition for Community Schools
A community school is public school-the hub of its neighborhood, uniting families, educators and community partners to provide all students with top-quality academics, enrichment, health and social services, and opportunities to succeed in school and in life.
(2017) - Family and Community Involvement in Student Learning
This Web page provides brief descriptions and links to Webinars and other resources produced by SEDL for professionals involved in efforts to engage families with their children’s schools.
SEDL - Illinois Early Learning Project
The Illinois Early Learning Project features a wide range of resources that teachers can share with families, related to children’s healthy development and learning at home.
Illinois State Board of Education - National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement
This Website is a portal to a wide range of information about family and community involvement in Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
Office of Head Start - One And ALL
This website contains resources to help teachers and school leaders with strategies for treating each other respectfully, managing hostility, supporting vulnerable students, and talking across divisions.
(2017) Harvard Graduate School of Education - PBS KIDS Family Creative Learning Facilitator Guide
This is a facilitator guide that provides a basic framework to implement five workshops of Family Creative Learning. This guide is for educators, community center staff, and volunteers interested in engaging their young people and their families to become designers and inventors in their community.
(2014) PBS KIDS
Modules
- Family Connections Training Modules
These four modules focus on ways that early childhood program staff can support mental health while engaging families in their programs.
Office of Head Start - Family-Professional Partnerships
This multimedia CONNECT Module takes a problem-based approach to helping early childhood professionals learn effective practices for building relationships with families.
Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge - Reaching Out to Hispanic Parents of English Language Learners
This “toolkit” describes recommended practices for educators, and includes detailed suggestions for 5 literacy-related family workshops, handouts in English and Spanish to give families, and lists of recommended children’s books.
(2012) Colorin Colorado - Refugee and Immigrant Family Engagement in the Schools
Using the National PTA Standards for family involvement as a framework, this training module covers key issues in and optimal practices for engaging refugee and immigrant families with their children’s schools.
Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS)
Elementary School
Articles
- Handbook on Family and Community Engagement
This collection of brief papers covers a wide range of topics related to family and community engagement, including the “curriculum of the home,” parents as leaders, and students’ readiness for college and career.
(2011) Academic Development Institute - Involving Refugee Parents in Their Children’s Education
This article addresses cultural, language/literacy, and logistical considerations often encountered by school staff when working with refugee families, and suggests optimal practices for engaging the families in their children’s schooling.
(2007) Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS) - PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships
NPTA’s standards, based on research into family involvement, are a useful resources for school personnel as they design and evaluate efforts to engage families.
(2009) National PTA (NPTA)
Videos / webinars
- School Community: Education
These professional development video clips address systematic ways that schools can be involved in parent education to promote students’ school success.
(2013) Academic Development Institute
Podcasts
- How Domestic Violence In One Home Affects Every Child In A Class
This podcast, part of a series on mental health in schools, discusses the potential impact of domestic violence on classrooms. A key finding is that improvement is usually seen after a parent reports domestic abuse.
(2016) National Public Radio - Meet the Experts: Reading Rockets Podcasts
This podcast series provides parents and educators with opportunities to find out more about young children’s literacy learning and development.
(2010) Reading Rockets - Partnerships Between Home and School: The Real Missing Link?
Participants in this 39-minute podcast discuss the need for family engagement, policies and practices that create and maintain engagement, and barriers to achieving family engagement.
(2011) ASCD
Websites
- Coalition for Community Schools
A community school is public school-the hub of its neighborhood, uniting families, educators and community partners to provide all students with top-quality academics, enrichment, health and social services, and opportunities to succeed in school and in life.
(2017) - Family and Community Involvement in Student Learning
This Web page provides brief descriptions and links to Webinars and other resources produced by SEDL for professionals involved in efforts to engage families with their children’s schools.
SEDL - One And ALL
This website contains resources to help teachers and school leaders with strategies for treating each other respectfully, managing hostility, supporting vulnerable students, and talking across divisions.
(2017) Harvard Graduate School of Education - PBS KIDS Family Creative Learning Facilitator Guide
This is a facilitator guide that provides a basic framework to implement five workshops of Family Creative Learning. This guide is for educators, community center staff, and volunteers interested in engaging their young people and their families to become designers and inventors in their community.
(2014) PBS KIDS
Modules
- Reaching Out to Hispanic Parents of English Language Learners
This “toolkit” describes recommended practices for educators, and includes detailed suggestions for 5 literacy-related family workshops, handouts in English and Spanish to give families, and lists of recommended children’s books.
(2012) Colorin Colorado - Refugee and Immigrant Family Engagement in the Schools
Using the National PTA Standards for family involvement as a framework, this training module covers key issues in and optimal practices for engaging refugee and immigrant families with their children’s schools.
Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS)
Middle School
Articles
- Handbook on Family and Community Engagement
This collection of brief papers covers a wide range of topics related to family and community engagement, including the “curriculum of the home,” parents as leaders, and students’ readiness for college and career.
(2011) Academic Development Institute - Involving Refugee Parents in Their Children’s Education
This article addresses cultural, language/literacy, and logistical considerations often encountered by school staff when working with refugee families, and suggests optimal practices for engaging the families in their children’s schooling.
(2007) Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS) - PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships
NPTA’s standards, based on research into family involvement, are a useful resources for school personnel as they design and evaluate efforts to engage families.
(2009) National PTA (NPTA)
Videos / webinars
- School Community: Education
These professional development video clips address systematic ways that schools can be involved in parent education to promote students’ school success.
(2013) Academic Development Institute
Podcasts
- How Domestic Violence In One Home Affects Every Child In A Class
This podcast, part of a series on mental health in schools, discusses the potential impact of domestic violence on classrooms. A key finding is that improvement is usually seen after a parent reports domestic abuse.
(2016) National Public Radio - Partnerships Between Home and School: The Real Missing Link?
Participants in this 39-minute podcast discuss the need for family engagement, policies and practices that create and maintain engagement, and barriers to achieving family engagement.
(2011) ASCD
Websites
- Coalition for Community Schools
A community school is public school-the hub of its neighborhood, uniting families, educators and community partners to provide all students with top-quality academics, enrichment, health and social services, and opportunities to succeed in school and in life.
(2017) - Family and Community Involvement in Student Learning
This Web page provides brief descriptions and links to Webinars and other resources produced by SEDL for professionals involved in efforts to engage families with their children’s schools.
SEDL - One And ALL
This website contains resources to help teachers and school leaders with strategies for treating each other respectfully, managing hostility, supporting vulnerable students, and talking across divisions.
(2017) Harvard Graduate School of Education - PBS KIDS Family Creative Learning Facilitator Guide
This is a facilitator guide that provides a basic framework to implement five workshops of Family Creative Learning. This guide is for educators, community center staff, and volunteers interested in engaging their young people and their families to become designers and inventors in their community.
(2014) PBS KIDS
Modules
- Refugee and Immigrant Family Engagement in the Schools
Using the National PTA Standards for family involvement as a framework, this training module covers key issues in and optimal practices for engaging refugee and immigrant families with their children’s schools.
Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS)
High School
Articles
- Handbook on Family and Community Engagement
This collection of brief papers covers a wide range of topics related to family and community engagement, including the “curriculum of the home,” parents as leaders, and students’ readiness for college and career.
(2011) Academic Development Institute - Involving Refugee Parents in Their Children’s Education
This article addresses cultural, language/literacy, and logistical considerations often encountered by school staff when working with refugee families, and suggests optimal practices for engaging the families in their children’s schooling.
(2007) Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS) - Promoting Self-Regulation in Adolescents and Young Adults
This brief article describes the importance of self-regulation for adolescents and young adults and provides guidelines for supporting self-regulation development for 14-25 year olds.
(2017) U.S. Office of Planning, Research, & Evaluation - PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships
NPTA’s standards, based on research into family involvement, are a useful resources for school personnel as they design and evaluate efforts to engage families.
(2009) National PTA (NPTA)
Videos / webinars
- School Community: Education
These professional development video clips address systematic ways that schools can be involved in parent education to promote students’ school success.
(2013) Academic Development Institute
Podcasts
- Partnerships Between Home and School: The Real Missing Link?
Participants in this 39-minute podcast discuss the need for family engagement, policies and practices that create and maintain engagement, and barriers to achieving family engagement.
(2011) ASCD
Websites
- Coalition for Community Schools
A community school is public school-the hub of its neighborhood, uniting families, educators and community partners to provide all students with top-quality academics, enrichment, health and social services, and opportunities to succeed in school and in life.
(2017) - Family and Community Involvement in Student Learning
This Web page provides brief descriptions and links to Webinars and other resources produced by SEDL for professionals involved in efforts to engage families with their children’s schools.
SEDL - One And ALL
This website contains resources to help teachers and school leaders with strategies for treating each other respectfully, managing hostility, supporting vulnerable students, and talking across divisions.
(2017) Harvard Graduate School of Education
Modules
- Refugee and Immigrant Family Engagement in the Schools
Using the National PTA Standards for family involvement as a framework, this training module covers key issues in and optimal practices for engaging refugee and immigrant families with their children’s schools.
Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS)
