INFORMATION ABOUT PARENT INVOLVEMENT ACTIVITIES
Total Number of Families Served = 200
Family Partnership Agreement
Development of the Family Partnership Process begins at the initial “intake meeting”. All families are provided the opportunity to enter into a “Family Partnership Agreement”.
The Family Partnership Agreement (FPA) may include the strength and goals of the family in areas pertinent to the family. The FPA serves as a plan of action for the family and program staff to work on together.
Forty families received emergency assistance for food, clothing, shelter and housing. Six families were linked to mental health counseling. One individual was assisted in obtaining a GED. One family was assisted with a domestic violence services referral.
Parent Education
All 200 families benefited from Parent Education efforts. Parent education opportunities included parenting classes (11 families attended), Dads Night Out (10 fathers participated), 2 parents attended a conference, and a variety of parent education materials. Examples of Parent Education topics include, “Kid Food Newsletters, monthly education newsletters, Read with Me Program, Guidelines for Adults in the Classroom Handouts, Transportation Newsletter, bus safety, mental health information, communicable disease prevention information, fire safety and oral health information among many other topics/materials.
Parent Volunteering
Parents are encouraged to volunteer in many ways. Parents may volunteer in the classroom, as an aide on the bus, in the center, fund raising, Parent Center Meetings, Parent Policy Council among others. Parents volunteered a total of 5163 hours in Program Year 2008/2009.
Parent Involvement in Child Development and Education
Parents provide input regarding their child’s development from the time of intake, through home visits/parent teacher conferences, volunteering, Parent Committee Meetings and Parent Policy Council.
Parents have been provided the opportunity to attend a Child Observation Record training. Parent participation in this has been low.
Parent Involvement in Health, Nutrition, and Mental Health Education
Training/parent education opportunities are offered to parents throughout the program year. Training/parent education is provided when parents volunteer in the classroom, through written material and through presentations.
Parents participated in the Health and Nutrition Committee, taking part in program decisions regarding health, nutrition and mental health education aspects of the program.
The Nutrition Coordinator provided individual consultation to 25 families in Program Year 2008/2009 on an as needed basis.
The Mental Health Consultant provided educational materials to all families with enrolled children. The Mental Health Consultant consulted with 12 parents regarding their child’s behavior/mental health.
Parent Involvement in Community Advocacy
During the initial intake meeting, the Family and Community Partnership/Family Service Worker provided each family with a Help Card for Dickinson and Iron County Service Agencies. All content area experts, classroom and Home Base staff work with parents to involve them in Community Advocacy opportunities.
Parent Involvement in Transition Activities
Parents are participating members of the Transition/Curriculum Committee. Parents and staff work together through this committee to build relationships between the sending and the receiving programs.
Policy Council and Parent Committee
The program has established and maintains a Parent Policy Council which is charged with carrying out the shared governance of the Head Start program along with the Dickinson-Iron Intermediate School District- Board of Education. The Policy Council is comprised of Head Start Parents elected at the center level and are representative of each classroom. Policy Council receives training on an annual basis and provides shared governance of the program.
Each Head Start Center also has an established Parent Committee. Parent Committee’s are established at the center level and consist of parents of currently enrolled children from the center and home base programs. Across 4 centers, a total of 32 monthly Parent Committee meetings were held in Program Year 2008/2009.
