Schools often thrive where there is an active and involved parent body. Children often are aware of their parent’s involvement, and it helps them to feel safer, helping to make the Child Development Center seem like an extension of their home. The safer and more secure they feel in this environment, the more they will take risks and learn.
Further, when families are involved, the children’s learning experience is deeper and more meaningful. Parent involvement does predict for success at school, and success during the early years does bear upon children’s future educational trajectories. So being involved makes a difference!
Programs with a high level of parent involvement are also more vibrant. The CDC strives to reflect the community through family involvement within the center, so that we can ensure that our family’s values and culture are more strongly represented in the children’s experiences, and have a place in the culture of the CDC. Programs that have meaningful involvement from the parents have a greater sense of community and connectedness. The children thrive.
Ways for families to participate:
- Join our Family Advisory Council
- Visit our classrooms and share special interests or talents with the children (some parents have given baby siblings a bath during our group time, brought in pets for visits, showed us how to tap trees for maple sugar, etc.)
- Come in and read a story to the children, or help with a cooking activity
- Join us for our weekly “Group Sing” on Wednesday mornings
- Come to our events
- Volunteer to help when asked
- Use our Parent Resource Library
- There may be some way we haven’t thought of. Please let us know!