Family Engagement

High-quality afterschool programs and community schools engage families in programs and support their children’s success in school, yet, this is often cited as a major barrier for programs and schools. The following resources are meant to provide tips and examples to assist with increasing family engagement in your afterschool program and/or community school.

Engaging Families in Your Community School: What Works

Engaging Families in Your Community School

In this Network for Youth Success produced presentation, learn what works for engaging families in a community school setting. Many of the strategies involve afterschool programs, or would be applicable to afterschool programs operating outside of the community schools strategy.

Family Involvement
Harvard Family Research Project
www.hfrp.org/family-involvement
This webpage includes publications, resources, research, and professional development opportunities related to family involvement.

Community and Family Engagement: Principals Share What Works
Coalition for Community Schools
www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/CommunityAndFamilyEngagement.pdf
Learn strategies and models for family involvement from experienced principals at community schools. Many strategies involve engaging families through a community partner, such as an afterschool provider.

Increasing Parent and Family Engagement in After-School
ExpandED Schools, formerly TASC www.expandedschools.org/sites/default/files/increasing_parent_family_engagement_in_after_school.pdfThis handbook for afterschool providers includes several program examples and sample forms, including letters and surveys you can adapt to your program.

Parent, Family, and Community Engagement: the Quality Self-Assessment Tool
Network for Youth Success
http://networkforyouthsuccess.org/qsa/elements-program-quality/parent-family-community-partnerships/
This element of the Quality-Self Assessment Tool focuses specifically on family and community engagement in afterschool programs. Take the self-assessment to figure out where your program stands currently, and develop an improvement plan based on your results. Read through examples of programs at each level of quality to get ideas on how to increase engagement in your program. Use the resources at the bottom of the page to help guide improvements.

Afterschool and Summer Programs as Catalysts for Engaging Families
Expanding Minds and Opportunities
www.expandinglearning.org/expandingminds/section-v-afterschool-and-summer-programs-catalysts-engaging-families
This section of a compendium of research and articles on afterschool includes six articles on family engagement. Learn tips and strategies that work for parent engagement, and how to make involvement meaningful. Specific attention is also paid to programs for middle school youth and for high school students.

Afterschool Supporting Family Involvement in Schools
Afterschool Alliance
www.afterschoolalliance.org/issue_briefs/issue_parent_involvement_32.pdf
This brief includes information on how afterschool programs can help engage families in schools and provides multiple examples.

Family Engagement Resource Providers Webinars
You for Youth
https://y4y.ed.gov/webinars/family-engagement-resource-providers-webinars
These webinar recordings contain information and tips that afterschool provider can use to effectively engage families in their programs.