National Invite Parents to School or Program Day is November 13
Help support and empower families about their child’s development and learning
Join the Maryland State Department of Education’s Division of Early Childhood, the National Education Association (NEA), and thousands of schools and programs nationwide in celebrating the 97th annual American Education Week from November 12-16. As part of the celebration, NEA will highlight “Parents Day” on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018, to provide parents and families with a firsthand look at what the school day is like for their children. “Parents Day” emphasizes the important role a parent’s involvement plays in a child’s education.
“We are proud to participate in ‘Parents Day’ during American Education Week,” said the Maryland Family Engagement Coalition. “Our goal is to continue to raise awareness about the importance of engaging parents and families in a child’s education throughout the year.”
NEA’s “Parents Day” celebration is also an excellent opportunity for teachers and providers to welcome parents and families to their child’s school or program and encourage them to be more engaged in their child’s development and learning. This annual celebration meets Goal Three of the Maryland Early Childhood Family Engagement Framework: Family Engagement Initiatives Should Support Families as Lifelong Educators of Their Children. Maryland initiatives and the practices of early care and education providers should create collaborative relationships with a variety of service entities to support and empower parents in their role as their child’s first teacher.
To support parents as they become more familiar with this critical role, teachers and providers can offer many opportunities in the classroom or child care setting. For example, some programs have a parent job board when parents come in to volunteer. Similar to a child’s job board, it provides a list of activities that parents can do while they’re volunteering.
By spending time in their child’s learning environment, parents and families have opportunities to practice early learning skills and then apply them at home. Research consistently shows that the more parents are involved, the more their children succeed in school.
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