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Parent Circles are monthly group coaching experiences intended to be a space for parents to support each other, explore the relevance of wellbeing and child development concepts to their lives, and share what has been valuable to their goals and journey as parents (skills, resources, experiences, etc.). Parent Circles also provide a regular touchpoint for parents to connect with one another, deepening a sense of community, strengthening connectedness to their child's school, and building an expanded network of support.
Parent Circles are monthly group coaching experiences intended to be a space for parents to support each other, explore the relevance of wellbeing and child development concepts to their lives, and share what has been valuable to their goals and journey as parents (skills, resources, experiences, etc.). Parent Circles also provide a regular touchpoint for parents to connect with one another, deepening a sense of community, strengthening connectedness to their child's school, and building an expanded network of support.
Parent Circles are typically composed of four sections:
Circle Opening
Goal Reflection
Topic Exploration
Circle Closing
Circle Opening
Circle Opening
Strong Start brings each participant into a similar space and serves to ground the group in the work ahead (10 minutes)
Develop (or revisiting) group agreements provides the opportunity to recommit and revise to group norms as a means of feeding the agency of the participants (5 minutes)
Goal Reflection
Goal Reflection
Individual goal reflection asks participants to think through how they have gotten closer to accomplishing their action steps for the month. (5 minutes)
Important: goal setting must occur before goal reflection. This is typically done in 1:1 coaching calls or must be facilitated in Parent Circles before reflection can happen.
Small group goal discussion invites families to reflect and check in on all aspects of the goals they have set—the barriers, the wins, and the resources used. This dedicated time is also an opportunity for parents to share their wisdom with the group. (5 minutes)
Large group debrief asks parents to share more about their wins and barriers with the whole group. It is a time to celebrate each other, ask for help or ideas, or share resources. (10 minutes)
Lastly, participants are asked to write and commit to one action step in the coming weeks to continue working towards their goal. (10 minutes)
New to Goal Setting?
New to Goal Setting?
Setting and reflecting on goals is a learned skill that asks individuals to be vulnerable and honest. Schools can introduce Parent Circles as they begin to establish trust and safety among families, and later integrate goals. For schools interested in individual goal-setting and in-group goal reflection -- that have not done so with parents before -- consider two intentional choices:
Begin Parent Circles without individual goal setting or in-group goal reflection. Allow time to focus on quality group experiences and normalization of group reflection without personal goals as a group focal point.
Begin Parent Circles without in-group goal reflection integrated. Integrate Self-Assessment -- a 1:1 coaching offering guided self reflection with optional goals -- to normalize guided self reflection in an individual coaching context without the requirement to set goals and without personal goals as a group focal point.
Topic Exploration
Topic Exploration
Topic exploration is delivered as a means for connections rather than solely didactic purposes. Parent Circles use the "I do-We do-You do" model to help families skill-build and practice throughout each meeting.
I do: During each session, topics are first explored through an interactive introduction modeled by the facilitator. Topics are wide-ranging and vary based on the age of the child in the family (see Curriculum,Instruction, & Assessment) (10-15 minutes).
We do: Families then participate in engaging, interactive activities that help reinforce the lesson of the day (15- 20 minutes)
You do: Families are often given take-home activities to continue practicing outside of Parent Circles.
The facilitator leads families through an interactive introduction of a topic. Topics are wide-ranging and vary based on the age of the child in the family. (10-15 minutes)
Closing
Closing
Closing usually involves exit tickets that parents complete while they are still in the Circle. Often these activities ask parents to reflect on broad questions such as "What are 1-2 things you're taking away from today that you can see yourself applying to your everyday life?"
Reflection prompts, such as "What are 1-2 words, thoughts, or feelings you are taking from today?" help families close out the session (5 minutes)
The feedback survey is an explicit opportunity for parents to give direct feedback to Facilitators (5 minutes)
Announcements about coaching, the program or related activities wrap up the end of the Parent Circle session. (5 minutes)
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