Preparing for New Educational Funding:

How To Get Parents Involved NOW!

Parental involvement in the education of their children has become significantly more important to school districts due to recent funding cutbacks throughout the nation. We all know parent involvement impacts positively how well children perform in school.  A recent example is the Aptos High School in California where academic performance index went up 23 points after parents become in involved in their children's education. It was one of the biggest jumps the school has ever had.   In an effort to help schools and students succeed, President Obama has announced that $900 million in federal grants in the proposed FY 2011 budget would be available to school districts and administrators to assist failing schools across the nation and help end the drop out crisis. According to the president, "The stakes are too high - for our children, for our economy, for our country. It's time for all of us to come together - parents and students, principals and teachers, business leaders and elected officials - to end America's dropout crisis." President Obama has also gone on the record as saying, besides federal funds, "It will take parent's getting involved in their child's education consistently," at the local level. Now the Center for The Improvement of Child Caring is making available a series of educational resources which can help you get ready for the new educational funding and help parents become involved NOW!

"The key to preventing student drop-out is the promotion of positive parental involvement." "Parent involvement provides valuable resources in terms of volunteer time and contributes to increased support for the school." "Studies found that the academic achievement of low-income students in particular seemed to vary directly with the degree of parent involvement." "Effective parent involvement correlates with students' earning higher grades and test scores." (National Institute of Education) "Those schools that favor involvement of parents outperform schools with little parent involvement."  "On the basis of children's achievement and the overall quality of the school, those schools that have long-lasting and comprehensive parent programs are more effective than those without such programs." Join Our Mailing List!

Beyond The Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships By Anne T. Henderson, Karen L. Mapp, Vivian R. Johnson, and Don Davies  Countless studies demonstrate that students with parents actively involved in their education at home and school are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, enroll in higher-level programs, graduate from high school, and go on to postsecondary education. Beyond The Bake Sale shows how to form these essential partnerships - and how to make them work. Packed with tips from principals, teacher and parents; checklists; and an invaluable resource section, Beyond The Bake Sale reveals how to build strong collaborative relationships and offers practical advice for improving interactions between parents and teachers, from insuring that parent groups are constructive and inclusive to navigating the complex issues surrounding diversity in the school community. Written with candor, clarity and humor, Beyond The Bake Sale is essential reading for teachers, parents on the front lines in public schools, and administrators and policy makers at all levels. Click here to order. Parents On Board by Michael Popkin, Ph.D., Bettie B. Young, Ph.D., Ed.D., and Jane M. Healy, Ph.D. The Parents On Board Program is for parents of 4 to 14 year old children, and it is based on the assumption that they want their children to succeed in school  but they aren't sure how they can help.  The program reinforces their motivation for their children's academic success by sharing some important facts from the research on children's academic achievement. The research is very clear that children whose parents are involved in their education: Get better grades Do more homework Have better attendance Have a higher graduation rate Demonstrate a more positive attitude The program then goes on to teach parents a set of skills and attitudes on how best to be involved in their children's education. The three teaching sessions cover: Preparing Your Child to Succeed Learning Styles Learning Habits Social Skills Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds Structuring the School Smart Home Start the Year Off Right Maintain a Good Relationship All Year Understanding Information from the School If you Suspect a Learning Difference Encouraging Positive Behavior Encouragement Discipline Beliefs Build Success How to "Teach" a Positive Belief Reinforcing Your Child's Academic Skills Parent As Coach Coaching Your Child in Reading Coaching Your Child in Writing, Spelling, Math and Science The Leader's Guide, included in the Program Kit, gives step-by-step instructions on when to show the recorded portions and how to lead the discussions. Parents follow along with the Parent's Handbook. Special "parent preview" makes it easy to sign parents up! The Program Kit includes directions on how best to use a special 30-minute promotional presentation. Designed as a mini-seminar, "Helping Your Child Succeed in School: An Introduction to Parent Involvement" includes snippets from the program and is an excellent way to publicize the program to groups of parents (such as PTA meetings). Obtain Instructional Materials You can bring this program to your area by obtaining the Program Kit of training materials. Click here to obtain the Program Kit with the DVD. Obtain the Parents on Board Parent Handbook This is the 221 page handbook that parents receive when they take Parents on Board. It contains all the information, skills, and strategies of this program. It is available in English and Spanish. Click here to obtain this practical handbook in English. Click here to obtain handbook in Spanish.  Gateway to Academic Freedom Program The Gateway to Academic Achievement program consists of two integral parts - the Gateway CD and the Gateway Portfolio, both designed to provide essential resources while encouraging parent/family involvement in education. The Gateway CD is an interactive and engaging software program designed for students, parents and educators that helps bridge the widening 'digital divide' by providing essential resources in a user-friendly format. Featuring hundreds of pertinent and informative web links, the Gateway makes finding homework help or college preparation websites a breeze. This CD is both in English and Spanish. The Gateway to Academic Achievement is a powerful and engaging web CD designed for students, parents and educators that helps bridge the widening 'digital divide' by providing essential resources in a user-friendly format. Featuring hundreds of pertinent and informative web links, the Gateway makes finding homework help or college preparation websites a breeze. The Gateway to Academic Achievement: Helps Make Learning More Interactive and Engaging, While Empowering Students With 21st Century Digital Skills! Provides Over 1,800 Direct Links and Saves Students Hours Reviewing Search Engines. Is Guaranteed 100 Pop-up and Spyware Free! Offers Teachers Hundreds of Lesson Plans and Resources. Empowers Both English and Spanish Speaking Parents to More Actively Support Their Children's Education and Learning. The extensive college preparation area provides links to college search engines, on-line admissions, catalogs from over 25,000 colleges, and detailed information on scholarships and applying for state and federal assistance. There are links to sites that explain the college application process, from what high school classes to take and when, to how to choose your college. Students of all ages are encouraged to utilize the hundreds of available reference guides, dictionaries, maps, almanacs, encyclopedias and other educational material listed on the ''Student Resources'' pages. Links are open to various educational topics -- from extensive literature, history and math resources -- to an interactive chemical elements periodic table created especially for K-12 students and much more! Click here to order The Gateway to Academic Achievement. (Discounts on large orders are available. Call CICC's toll free number to explore - 1- 800-325-2422.) The Power of Positive Parenting 11 Guidelines for Raising Healthy and Confident Children by Kerby T. Alvy This easy-to-read booklet brings to parents eleven standards against which they can evaluate their methods of raising their children. These standards are based on the latest research on effective parenting in today's challenging times. The Power of Positive Parenting also provides numerous practical examples for how parents can bring their current ways of raising their children more in line with these important standards - and thereby better prepare their children for success at school, at work and at life itself. Each guideline is accompanied by examples of the parenting skills and practices that are involved. The guidelines are: Give Children Warmth, Acceptance and Respect Enjoy Child Development and Be Alert to Special Needs Use Firm and Fair Leadership Avoid Spanking and Verbal Abuse Start Early in Preparing Children for School Create a Home Envirnoment That Supports Learning Be an Active Partner with Your Children's School Teach Children About Their Own and Other Cultures Take Charge of Your Child's Media Exposure Set an Example of Life-Long Learning Maintain a Healthy Life Style Here's what some of the 60,000 parents who have already read The Power of Positive Parenting have to say about it: "It's the manual that should come with every child." "It helped me realize what I was doing wrong and what I was doing right." "It made me realize that children are reflection of what they see at home." "It's like a mini-bible for parents." "It changed my entire approach to raising my children." The Power of Positive Parenting is available in English, in a English/Spanish version, and in an English/Khmer version. Click here to obtain The Power of Positive Parenting Guidebook.

Parent Training to Help Students Succeed CD-ROM (For schools and school districts)  By Dr. Kerby T. Alvy The Center for the Improvement of Child Caring is proud to make available a highly practical and very well-received presentation. The presentation draws on Dr. Alvy's forty years of experiences as a leader in the parenting education field and in working with schools nationwide. This two-hour presentation with PowerPoint was originally delivered to principals, school counselors and other educators from the United States and Canada on October 6, 2009. It was extremely well received with every participant indicating that they had learned important ideas about how to educate and involve the parents of their students. They further indicated that the presentation provided them with a wide range of parenting resources that they could put to use immediately in their schools and family literacy programs. They applauded the quality and enthusiasm of Dr. Alvy's presentation. Click here to order the CD-Rom of this presentation. Parents on Board Videos/DVDs  These versions of Parents on Board, which are available as videos or DVDs, are geared toward either parents of elementary school or parents of middle school children. Each set is available in English or Spanish and each comes with discussion guidelines and a reproducible Parent's Tip Sheet. There are three parts to these versions which can be obtained separately.  1. Preparing Your Child to Succeed in School Learn how to recognize and support a child's learning style: how to set up a "school-smart" home, and how to motivate children to do their best. Click here for Elementary School Version - DVD Click here for Middle School Version - DVD  Click here for Spanish Version - DVD 2. Encouraging Positive Behaviors Learn how to promote cooperative behavior at school and work with teachers to resolve conflict. Also learn effective, non-violent methods of discipline. Click here for Elementary School Version - DVD Click here for Middle School Version Click here for Spanish Version - DVD 3. Reinforcing Your Child's Academic Skills Explore ways to help children with homework without doing it for them; how to be an effective academic coach in writing, spelling, math and science; and why it's important to do fun things together, too. Click here for Elementary School Version - DVD Click here for Middle School Version - DVD Click here for Spanish Version - DVD Kindergarten Survival Handbook The Before School Checklist and Guide for Parents By Allana Elovson, Ph.D. Full of simple, enjoyable and inexpensive ways to transform a young child's everyday world into an exciting learning environment, 'The Kindergarten Survival Handbook' shows parents and others who care for children what children need to known to be ready for kindergarten and prepares them to be children's first and most effective teachers. The Handbook also reminds parents of the importance of establishing a beneficial connection between home and school and how they can stay involved in their children's education. 'The Before School Checklist' half of this humorously illustrated book covers many of the skill areas charted in the CICC Discovery Tool. 'The Guide for Parents' half provides a wonderful array of activities to engage children and to help them: Learn the Things They Need to Know to be Ready for School Learn How to Understand and be Understood Learn Self-Help and Social Skills Learn Large Movement Skills Learn Small Movement Skills Learn to Use All of Their Senses Learn About Pictures, Words and Letters Available in English, Spanish and Other Languages! Click here to order The Kindergarten Survival Handbook in English. Click here to order The Kindergarten Survival Hankbook in Spanish. School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action by Joyce L. Epstein, Mavis G. Sanders, Beth S. Simon, Karen Clark Salinas, Natalie Rodriguez Jansorn, Frances L. Van Voorhis This research-based framework of six types of involvement guides state and district leaders, school principals, teachers, parents, and community partners to form Action Teams for Partnerships-dynamic groups that plan, implement, evaluate, and continually improve family and community involvement for student success. The School, Family, and Community Partnerships Handbook, created by researchers at Johns Hopkins University with input from educators and parents, has been a best-seller for years. Now, Joyce L. Epstein and her colleagues offer even more tools and strategies-innovations tested for more than fifteen years that are being used by leaders in schools, districts, and state departments of education across the country to create partnership programs that support school improvement goals. With this new second edition, you'll learn how to : Involve the community in school, family, and community partnerships Organize more effective Action Teams for Partnerships Strengthen partnership programs in middle and high schools Implement interactive homework for students to show and share with their families Organize successful volunteers in the middle grades Conduct state and district leadership activities to help schools develop partnership programs Plus, you'll find new examples of successful partnership activities linked to school goals for students, new planning and evaluation tools, and new guidelines and materials for conducting effective training workshops on partnerships. It's a valuable and time-tested approach with tools that you can use today to build a comprehensive, inclusive, goal-oriented, and permanent program of partnership! Click here to order The School, Family, and Community Partnerships Handbook