Strengthening Families
Toolkit for Educators
Strengthening Families is an approach to working with families to prevent child abuse and neglect that builds upon family strengths, rather than focusing on deficits. It is not a curriculum or a program, but instead offers a framework of five research-based Protective Factors that give parents what they need to parent effectively, even under stress. Click here to access the Toolkit.
Pennsylvania Proclaims October as Parent Involvement Month
PA PIRC, parents, educators, legislators and family-school-community partners gathered in the capitol rotunda on October 5, 2011 for Governor Tom Corbett’s proclamation of October as “Parent Involvement Month” in Pennsylvania. With this proclamation, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania acknowledged the vital importance of family involvement with each child’s learning and education. The Pennsylvania House and Senate introduced Resolutions that honor parent and family involvement. During the event, parents, educators and family-school-community partnerships from Pennsylvania were recognized and East Norriton Middle School Jazz Band provided entertainment.
For information on how you can celebrate Parent Involvement Month; read the Governor’s proclamation and the Pennsylvania House and Senate resolutions; or view photos from the kick-off event, and more, click here.
Highlights of the 2011 Pennsylvania Family Engagement Conference
Now More Than Ever: Powerful Partnerships for Successful Students
The 2011 Pennsylvania PIRC Family Engagement Conference enabled participants to learn and share information and insights regarding how they can work together to increase family engagement with children’s education. Pennsylvania Parent and Information Resource Center (PA PIRC) partnered with the Pennsylvania Department of Education in presenting this event. For recorded presentations, slides and resources from the conference, click here.
Powerful Partnerships: Working Together for Student Success
Many schools and family serving organizations are observing Parent Involvement Month. For ideas that you might find interesting and want to adapt or replicate, click on one of the links below.
- Cole Manor School - Parent Involvement Month and Parent Workshops (PDF)
- Juniata County Family Literacy (PDF)
- North Penn School District Accomplishments and Events (PDF)
Family Friendly Organizations
Family Friendly organizations promote active and sustained collaboration between parents and staff, and among family, school and community partners.
How can you determine whether your school or organization is family friendly?
Parents strongly influence their children’s readiness for and success in school. When parents and the organizations that educate children work together, the results for children can be powerful.
Family friendly schools and organizations affirm families’ contributions to student success at home, in school and in the community and promote family engagement with their children’s education. They build strong connections with families through welcoming environments, effective two-way communication, collaborating with families on decisions regarding children’s education, and speaking up on behalf of every child.
Family Friendly Schools and Organizations:
- Welcome all family members
- Encourage effective two way communication
- Support child development and student learning
- Promote speaking up for every child
- Share power
- Collaborate with constituents and other partners
To learn more about the six standards of a Family Friendly Organization, click here.
Parent’s Guide to Child Development and School Success
The newly revised Parents’ Guide to Child Development and School Success is now available upon request. The Guide contains even more helpful information for parents of children ages birth to graduation. For more information and to order contact the PA PIRC office at (717) 763-1661 or
pa-pirc@csc.csiu.org .
June 19, 2009 Parent Forum Video
In June 2009, PA PIRC and the Pennsylvania Department of Education staged a statewide parent involvement conference that brought together parents, practitioners and national experts in panel formats to discuss the nature of meaningful parent involvement.
Click here to view the videos of each panel discussion
PA PIRC Brochure
The PA PIRC brochure describes the services provided to parents, schools and communities. To order copies, please contact the PA PIRC office at (717) 763-1661 or pa-pirc@csc.csiu.org.
Harvard Family Research Project Highlights PIRCs
In 2008, the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) released a double issue of their periodical The Evaluation Exchange that includes a section highlighting PIRCs and their role as leaders in the family involvement field. The issue, titled Building the Future of Family Involvement, examines the current state of and future directions for the family involvement field in research, policy and practice. Featuring innovative initiatives, new evaluation approaches and findings, and interviews with field leaders, the issue is designed to spark conversation about where the field is today and where it needs to go in the future. To access this publication as well as other resources from HFRP, click here.
Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind Flyer for Parents, School Staff and Community Representatives
The Pennsylvania Parent Information and Resource Center (PA PIRC) developed information about the Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind (ESEA/NCLB) which includes its major principles, important elements, and roles and responsibilities for parents, school staff and community representatives. This flyer simply and succinctly outlines the requirements of NCLB as well as the responsibilities of schools and parents under the legislation. Click here to read and download the flyer.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and Parent Involvement
The evidence is beyond dispute. When parents are actively involved in the education of their children, children do better in school and student achievement increases. A January, 2003 report from the National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools at the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School Family and Community Connections on Student Achievement reveals that families make critical contributions to student achievement from pre-school through high school; when parents are involved at home, children do better and stay in school longer, and when a critical mass of parents is involved the whole school improves.
For the first time in history of federal education legislation, parent involvement is defined as the “participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring that parents (Title IX General Provisions, Part A Sec 9101):
- Play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;
- Are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education; and
- Are full partners in their child’s education.
Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (formerly known as No Child Left Behind) is beginning the reauthorization process. The links below list some of the calls for changes in the legislation:
To let others know that your school or organization is family friendly, order free Family Friendly posters from PA PIRC at
(717) 763-1661 or
Pregnant and new moms can get timely health information via FREE text messages from pregnancy through baby's first year.
From your cell phone, text BABY to 511411
(Envia BEBE al 511411 para Español) to sign up.
To learn more about how a baby's brain develops and what you can do to enrich a very young child's development check out the Brain Map.
The Brain Map was adapted in 2006 by ZERO TO THREE from BrainWonders, a collaborative project (1998-2001) between Boston University School of Medicine, Erikson Institute and ZERO TO THREE.
Looking for resources to help support military families? Two rich sources of information are:
The Zero to Three website section called Coming Together Around Military Families.
The official Department of Defense site for military families Military HOMEFRONT.