HB 4 – Definitions of Family and Family Engagement:

Family: Adults responsible for the child’s care and children in the child’s life who support the early learning and development of the child.

Family Engagement: The mutual responsibility of families, schools, and communities to build relationships to support student learning and achievement and to support family well-being and the continuous learning and development of children, families, and educators. Family engagement is fully integrated in the child’s educational experience, supports the whole child, and is both culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate.

Family Engagement Plan Development Committee Members: Pre-K teachers and paraprofessionals, GES CIT Pre-K representative, PTO Pre-K representative, Pioneer principal & counselor

Contact Person for Families: Donna Gatlin, principal; Leticia Barrera, bilingual teacher

6 Components of Pre-K Family Engagement Plan

Evidence of Pre-K Family Engagement  

(activities, events, practices & details)

1. Facilitate Family-to-Family Support        

Pre-kindergarten teachers and teacher assistants will work together to provide parents with opportunities to participate together in district and campus initiatives and activities including:

• Head Start/Pre-K/Kindergarten Round Up
• Parent Orientation
• Individual Meet the Teacher Conferences
• Pre-K & K Curriculum Night
• Classroom/Campus Volunteering Opportunities
• Parent Teacher Conferences
• Pioneer PTO Involvement
• Representation on Graham Elementary Campus Improvement Team
• Bilingual Parent Representation at Language Proficiency & LPACs
• Parent Square translation feature that allows parents to get notifications/information in their preferred language
• Campus/District Family Events

• Marvelous Me Family Project
• Pioneer Family Game & Learning Night
• Pioneer Day
• Pioneer Halloween Parade/Pumpkin Patch
• Turkey Trouble Family Project
• Pioneer Pre-K Thanksgiving Program at school and at local nursing homes
• Cookies with Santa
• Grandparents’ Day
• Pioneer Book Fair - Parents & Grandparents Day
• Partner with GHS Key Club for Easter Egg Hunt
• Spring Family Art Project
• Pioneer Reading Safari
• Pre-K Water Safety Bootcamp
• Holiday Parties
• Pre-K Sweetheart Dance
• Week of the Young Child Parade and Activities
• Pre-K End of Year Field Day
• End of Year Pre-K Awards Program

• District Parent Education Events

• Graham ISD EB night

• TEA Parent Engagement Watch Parties

• Parent/Family/Community Engagement

2. Establish a Network of       Community Resources

GISD partners with local service agencies

to help provide additional support to our

families:

• USDA Summer Feeding Program
• Our Daily Bread/Circuit Riders Local Summer Feeding Programs
• Virginia’s House Mentor Program
• Garments of Grace
• Backpack Buddies
• Hygiene Heroes
• Angel Tree Applications
• Helen Farabee Mental Health Services
• Graham Psychological Associates
• Head Start
• Young County United Way
• Lighthouse Therapy
• Affirming Texas Families
• Food Pantry/Clothes Closet
• Gear Up Graham
• Summer Reading Program at Graham Public Library
• First Presbyterian Church has adopted our campus
• TCHATT Counseling opportunities

The school nurse and assistant principal  can provide additional resources/referrals to other agencies.

Additional academic and social-emotional parent resources offered to parents at ARDs and LPACs as needed

Translation of information via Parent Square and Google Translate

Pioneer partners with Head Start, daycare facilities, local preschools, and other outside agencies that provide services to help meet the diverse needs of our early childhood students.

3.  Increase Family Participation in Decision-Making

Pre-K families are invited to

participate and serve on the following:

•  Graham Elementary Campus Improvement Team

• Pioneer Day Sub Committee

• District Improvement Team
• Young County Child Welfare Board
• Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC)
• Provide notification and resources to parents of children being served in special populations

Parents complete the following:

• District Family Engagement Survey
• Parent & Volunteer Feedback via Surveys and Parent Square
• Intake questionnaires at Meet the Teacher

4. Equip Families with Tools to Enhance and Extend Learning                              

Pre-K families will be encouraged to attend learning opportunities to enhance and extend learning  and to use the home activities provided by teachers that are age and developmentally appropriate,to help prepare students for kindergarten. Tools provided to parents include:

• CLI Progress Monitoring Reports three

times a year

• Parent conferences at the beginning of year,  after the first 9 weeks of school and at other times of the year as necessary.
• Parent Information Flyers, homework packets provided at Parent Trainings
• Parent Electronic Access and Hard-Copy of Resources through CLI Engage
• Summer Reading Program at Graham Public Library
• Pre-K Round-Up
• Family Newsletters, School Calendar, Parent Square Notifications, GISD/Pioneer Websites, Email, Facebook
• Ready Rosie (Savvas) and Starfall technology
•  information made available to parents and guardians for use at home.
• Home activity packets sent home with students throughout the school year and at end of year to support and extend learning.
• Bilingual Summer School Opportunity
• Transition tour events for Head Start and preschool students and families prior to Round Up.
• Transition tours for Pre-K students to tour Kindergarten classrooms and meet Kindergarten teachers.

5. Developing Staff Skills in Evidence-Based Practices that Support Families in Meeting their Children’s Learning Benchmarks.

GISD will provide professional development for  Pre-K educators to aid them in:

• understanding how to positively communicate with  families and support them with strategies to meet the social-emotional and academic needs of their children.

Teachers will participate and collaborate together  in:  

• Weekly PLC Meetings
• CLI/CIRCLE Training at Region 9 ESC
• Conscious Discipline refresher opportunities
• GISD Inspires Conference
• Instructional Rounds on campus and at other grade levels
• 15 hours of child development related professional development annually
• Fundamental 5 book study for new employees

  6. Evaluate Family Engagement Efforts and Using Results for Continuous Improvement

Family engagement efforts are evaluated annually:

• Formal & Informal Evaluations giving parents a voice as a follow-up to trainings, workshops, meetings and family engagement activities
• Seek parental input during parent conferences, home visits and school activities
• Survey parents annually on the effectiveness of the Pre-K Program
• Survey results are  used in planning, developing and implementing pre-k activities
• Pre-K teachers complete self-evaluation annually.
• Review/Revise Family Engagement Plan Annually