How can we involve parents?

The connection between the children enrolled in your ELO and their family life can be made most effectively through parental involvement. Some ideas for getting parents on board:

• Begin a parent advisory group
• Invite parents to share their skills or speak about their careers with your ELO group
• Promote a parent volunteer program
• Hold regular family activities (like monthly dinners) at your site

For other ideas, see these links:

The National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE) offers guidelines for developing family/school partnerships that are easily adapted to meet the needs of ELOs.

National Education Association provides ideas for getting parents involved with your ELO.

The Parent's Academy for Reading, sponsored by the Ohio Department of Education, is a two-hour workshop designed for parents and family members whose children will soon be facing the Fourth Grade Proficiency Test.

The Ohio Department of Education offers local success stories of ways schools have communicated to parents and kept them involved.