Family involvement are one of the most important factors during a child's development and learning. As teachers it is our responsibility to be aware of how family involvement can impact learners' holistic development (emotional, academic, intellectual, behavioural, moral, social development etc.)

As teachers we should always be trying to find ways in which we can improve or enhance family involvement as well as engagement.

Here is a presentation on family involvement followed by a few ideas that can help you ensure effective and successful family involvement.

Here is a link to UF College of Education's page where free resources for parents are available: https://education.ufl.edu/ufli/parent-resources/birth-to-pre-k/

More on Epstein's Parent-involvement model

Sharing is caring: Share resources and information with your families - Equip and empower them!

Plan like a slave teach like a king: Plan every term/semester how you will involve and include families - What will they do? What will you do? When? Where? How?

Take inventory: Make lists of your families' needs, desires, hopes and dreams for their children, challenges, obstacles, occupations, socio-economic and socio-political circumstances etc. Also, make a list of parents who will be able to help you regularly with for example communication etc.

Communicate like a millenial - Use technology: You don't have to only rely on newsletters and face-to-face meetings, use technology such as Whatsapp, Class Dojo, Facebook pages, Google meets, Zoom etc. to communicate with your parents.

Brainstorming with families: Plan and brainstorm with your families - You don't have to do everything yourself!

Build trust: Trust is key to a good relationship - Establish trust with your families by sharing your thoughts and feelings with them - Be authentic - Be respectful.

Host & Invite: Host events where families can meet and form bonds. Invite them and make them part of the learning experience. You can even invite parents for specific lessons to share/help or assist.

Make it fun: Make sure your gatherings are fun - Play games - Gamify your meet & greets by using online games such as Kahoot.it and Menti.meter.

Include & Incorporate: Include your parents in every way possible - They might even have resources or ideas that you can incorporate into your curriculum/lessons/classroom.

"Bring from home": Have learners bring things from home - Let them share and learn more about each other's families. E.g. Traditional games, clothing, toys, favourite food, etc.

Be time sensitive: Parents are busy - They might work long hours - Make sure you take that into consideration when planning or scheduling sessions/workshops or meetings. Made have extended family hours when hosting meetings.

Buddy system: Form buddies or groups among your parents/families - This will create great opportunities for competitions and it will also provide families with a support system when they don't feel like they can reach out to you or the school. A buddy system can also help support families where illiteracy might be a problem.

Appoint a family representative: Have your parents volunteer and vote for a class rep - This parent/family member can become your right-hand and can also serve as a mediator.

Use school-based communication apps: There are many apps out there - Find one that works for you and your parents -E.g. Class Dojo or even Whatsapp groups - This will help you to communicate more effectively with your parents and make them feel more involved on a regular basis.

Award badges & be thankful: Always show your appreciation for everything your families do to help - Maybe implement/award badges "Best family of the month"

Use multilingual text: When communicating with families who are multilingual or do not speak the languages taught at school it might be necessary to have your newsletters or information translate - Also try out Google Translate and have a native speaking proof read it for you.

Call family members: Some times parents might struggle receiving information due to technological issues or not having wifi - It is then necessary to reach out and call them - You can even ask your family representative to help you make class to struggling families.

Do house visits: If possible, visit with your families to build trust and a stronger relationship.

Send newsletters home: Sending a newsletter home is a great way of communicating important information with your families - Consider making your newsletters bi-/multilingual.

Use a checklist: Design checklist for yourself or even for your families - These checklists can include things that needs to be done or a way of monitoring your involvement/engagement with your families - How many times have I communicated with x this term?

Send out questionnaires: Gathering information about your families can some times be difficult or time consuming - Asking families to complete an online or handwritten questionnaire is a great way of gathering information quickly. Try using platforms such as Google forms or Survey Monkey (online questionnaire) or interactive platforms such as Menti.meter and Socrative (great for polls & quick questions).

Host parent-teacher workshops: Empower your families with information - This can also serve as team building exercises.

Send welcome letters to the family: Welcome letters can make families feel appreciated, acknowledged and included - Maybe do this every term?

Be inclusive - Use variety of resources that are culturally sensitive: Gather information about your families' cultural identities, ethnicity, socio-economic circumstances and plan your resources accordingly.