a. Identify community partnerships to support children and families

b. Establish systems to expand how families link to community resources

c. Cultivate social support networks and connections among families

Baum, H. S. (2002). The Community Approach to School-Community Partnerships: Challenges and Possibilities.

Wright, G., Smith, E.P. Home, School, and Community Partnerships: Integrating Issues of Race, Culture, and Social Class. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 1, 145–162 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022600830757

• Why would it be advantageous for teachers to learn more about the communities in which they are working?

• How could partnerships with community resources help alleviate the stress that teachers experience in the classroom and help with educator mental health and burnout?

• Is it the responsibility of teachers to connect families to resources for needs that they have outside of the classroom? Who are their allies in this process?

• What has your personal experience been with community organizations and the support they provide to students and families? How does that influence your interactions with these organizations?

• Why might some families be reluctant to place trust in teachers, schools, or government agencies?

• What are some sources of social support and networks for families that you may have overlooked or undervalued?

This section includes three activities followed by scenarios inspired by parent feedback. 

Activity 1: Community Asset Mapping

• Light: Prospective teachers should make a list of resources in the community surrounding the school.

  • What are some important sites or resources for families?

  • What resources are available? What resources are missing?

  • Do you think that families would be able to tell you about different community resources than those visible through an internet search?

  • Are families and caregivers themselves valued as resources in the community?

• Medium: Prospective teachers should focus on an organization or resource in the community.

  • What services can this organization or resource provide to families?

  • Is this organization/resource easily accessible to working families? Do they have hours in the evening or on the weekends?

  • Does this organization serve families from diverse backgrounds? Do they require families to be U.S. citizens to access services? Do they have multilingual staff or provide interpretation services?

  • How might this organization be more accessible or adapt its services or operations to better serve the needs of local families?

• Deep Dive: Prospective teachers should attend a local community event that could appeal to families and write a brief reflection.

  • Did it seem like this event was well attended by a representative sample of the community, or did it attract one demographic more than another? 

  • Talk to a parent/caregiver at the event. Ask them how they heard about the event. What did they choose to attend and what did they think of it?

  • Was the event well organized and well advertised?

  • How might the event have been more accessible for families?

Activity 2: Building Accessible Connection to Resources

• Light: Prospective teachers should create a graphically appealing flyer letting families know about resources in or near their community and develop a plan to share this flyer with families

  • Consider the best way to distribute this flyer to reach families. Do you print it? Post it around the school? Send it home in backpacks? Send it electronically?

  • Do you think handing the flyer personally to caregivers might increase the likelihood that they would take the time to read it? How might this flyer be a chance to start a more meaningful conversation?

  • Is the flyer accessible in different languages? Easy to read for parents with lower levels of literacy?

• Medium: Prospective teachers should develop a calendar of community events for the next few months that can be shared with caregivers and families

  • Talk with the school administration about any upcoming school events (open house, parent-teacher conferences, literacy nights, etc.) that are open to the community. How are these being communicated to families?

  • Ask 2-3 caregivers from the community. What upcoming events are they excited about? Does the community have any traditional events or celebrations that should be noted on the calendar? What sort of information on a calendar would be helpful for them?

• Deep Dive:

  • Prospective teachers should investigate the school district’s policies for interpretation services. How would a teacher request an interpreter for a parent-teacher conference or an event they are organizing? In what ways can an educator connect more regularly with a caregiver who speaks another language? Are there apps or services available to help?

  • Arrange to sit in on a conversation with a caregiver that utilizes interpretation services to aid with communication. Is the interpreter on the phone or in person? What are the best practices when using an interpreter to communicate with a parent or caregiver?

Activity 3: Building Trust & Connections

• Light: Prospective teachers should develop a list of at least 10 ideas of how you might foster trust and connections with and among families.

  • Talk to seasoned educators for ideas, and ask families and caregivers what has worked for them. 

  • Reflect on why building trust and connections with families is important. How does this help you as a teacher? How does it help the children?

• Medium: Prospective teachers should select three ideas of how to build connections and trust with and among families and make a plan for how you would implement them authentically.

  • Are these ideas that can be incorporated into the school day or do they require additional time?

  • Will these ideas apply equally to all students and families? Or do certain strategies work better with certain students and families?

  • How will building trust with students and families help you as a teacher? Is this something that you truly value?

• Deep Dive: Prospective teachers should attend a local community event and interact with 3-5 people.  Write a reflection about the connections you made. 

  • What did you observe about families at the community event?

  • Did you feel comfortable at the event? Do you think all families felt comfortable at the event?

  • What was the response of families and students to seeing you at the event?

  • How might these interactions, or your presence at the event help to build trust and connections with families?

Scenario 1: At the start of the school year you notice that during recess the students in your class love to play soccer with one another.  After a few months, several students in your classroom come in wearing soccer jerseys from teams that they play in outside of school.  You notice a slow divide occurring between your students who are active on a team and those who are not.  What might you do next? 

Scenario 2: Many students in your classroom come from households where their caregivers do not have transportation to participate in activities offered after school. Their children are tied to bus transportation to get home.  How might you foster community among families in your classroom to bridge this gap?