Intro to Home Visits

Home visits are among one of the most impactful practices for building relationships, establishing welcome and creating trusting bonds for family, school and community partnerships. Research has shown that home visits decreased chronic absence rates, increased academic success, decreased suspensions and expulsion rates, and increased rates of applying to 2 & 4 year colleges. 

Participants in this workshop will 

• reflect on current mindsets and challenges for adopting home visits as a school-wide practice
• receive a high level introduction to home visits
• explore some strategies to apply before receiving formal training or implementing home visits as a school-wide parent engagement practice
• be equipped to engage educators, families, and community members in transformative processes that prioritize the needs and aspirations of our communities

Creating Family and Community Hubs for Literacy

Libraries have long been a favorite hangout spot for students and it’s time to loop in the whole family on what makes the reading so special and meaningful! This workshop will share family literacy engagement programs which will dramatically increase family and caregiver partnership for supporting reading comprehension development. 

Participants will 

• learn how to host a family literacy event at their school library, family resource room, community library, or alternative and non-traditional setting
• promote deep learning and explore strategies for centering community-based learning
• use Interactive Read Aloud fundamentals (Preschool - 3rd grade)
• facilitate Family Book Clubs components (4th grade - High School)
• lesson plans and book lists will be provided for easy implementation

Guiding and Coaching Your Aspiring Writer

​Many parents shy away from providing feedback on their children’s writing assignments for fear of giving incorrect guidance or being insecure of their own writing abilities. However, parents can develop collaborative leadership skills alongside their child’s classroom teacher. Parents can give valuable insights and share writing improvement tips for their children with ease. This parent workshop will give strategies to guide and coach your aspiring writer with confidence. 

Participants will

• learn the basic building blocks on how to help children improve sentences
• adopt affirmation techniques to gently nudge children to expand their idea development
• learn how a coaching model helps children develop critical thinking skills
• use an asset-based approach to supporting children with writing development 

Nurturing Effective Communication with Your Children

"I don't understand my children" and "Why don't they talk to me?" are very common sentiments parents have about the dynamics with their children. This workshop will explore effective communication strategies which focus on cultivating racially-just, relationship-centered spaces. Through shared commitment and understanding, parents can nurture healthy relationships with their children and promote a supportive environment for their child at home and at school. 

Participants will

• Learn family strategies that foster thriving environments for students, families, and the entire community
• Foster family connections that develop relationship skills needed for children to gain self-awareness, social awareness and relationship skills
• Build upon social and emotional learning (SEL) that fosters skills, habits, and mindsets that enable academic progress, efficacy, and productive behavior