Families and Community

Families and Community

Bring families and the community together to help children build a

strong foundation in literacy and learning.

Partnering With Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Introducing Big Day Family Space . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Involving the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Families and

Community

Building Literacy With Big Day BookFlix. . . . . . . . .40

33

Families and Community

Partnering With Families

When families and teachers come together, children feel more secure and

confident at school and at home.

The Home-School Connection

Before children enter preschool, they have already learned many things from

their families. One of the most important things you can do is work together with

parents and caregivers to get children ready for formal schooling and encourage a

love of learning.

Families play a significant role in a child¡¯s education. Partnering with families

helps ensure both the home and school are working together in the best interests

of the child. Big Day for PreK helps you stay connected throughout the year with

theme-specific Home to School and School to Home suggestions.

A Great Start

For young children, going to school can be both exciting and stressful. Children

might wonder, What will school be like? Who will I play with? Will I like my teacher?

For children¡¯s families, the first day of school can be just as emotional. Families

might ask, Is the classroom safe for my child? How will I know how my child

is doing?

Help to build enthusiasm and ease any anxiety by reaching out to children and

their families before school even starts. Here are a few suggestions for welcoming

everyone into the new classroom community:

Host an Open House Before the first day of school, invite children and

their families to visit the classroom and meet you in person. Place a special

welcome note in each cubby for children to discover.

Make a Call Call the families of children who will be in your class to introduce

yourself, the program, and share your excitement for the school year.

Write a Letter Set the tone for the school year by sending a welcome letter

to each family and a welcome postcard to each child. How excited will young

children be to get a personal note in the mail from you?

I All About Attitude Remind children that when we think

It¡¯s

about happy experiences, it helps to boost our happiness and

a

get our brains ready to learn. Have each child bring a small box from home or

make one in class. Over the next few days invite children to collect any three

small items (e.g., photo, rock, ticket stub) that evoke a happy thought, story,

or memory. Tell them that they can open their box whenever they need to and

look at the items that remind them of happy moments.

TM

34 ? Big Day for PreK Professional Handbook

Meeting the Families

Once school has started, invite families back into your classroom to get a better

idea of the BIG days ahead for their preschooler! Your family meeting sets the

tone for the school year, so consider these tips to make it a success:

Families and

Community

? Greet families at the door and, when possible, by name.

? Download and print the Family Welcome Letter (available in English and

Spanish) from Big Day Teacher Space. Distribute these letters at orientation

to introduce families to Big Day for PreK.

? Make sure that families of all cultures, languages, and educational

experiences feel at home in your classroom with the fully equitable materials

available to help you communicate with families in English and Spanish.

For speakers of other languages, reach out to colleagues or community

organizations to help you communicate with families in their home language.

? Show families the exciting Big Day for PreK materials, preview Big Day

Family Space, and explore Big Day BookFlix.

? Have children lead family members on a classroom tour, pointing out their

individual storage cubbies and showing off their projects.

Have each child dictate a personal welcome letter and leave it in his

or her cubby for family members to read during the family meeting.

? Emphasize the importance of parent-teacher conferences. If possible, give

parents the dates of scheduled conferences and explain the topics you will

want to discuss so they will know what to expect.

? Let families know how they can best reach you (e.g., by phone, email) to

share their questions, concerns, or observations.

Engaging Families Throughout the Year

Once you have established a bond with families, it is important to maintain that

connection throughout the school year.

Classroom Visits Provide a variety of ways families can help out in the

classroom¡ªchaperoning a field trip, telling a story, reading aloud, organizing

a celebration, preparing snack. Encourage families to visit when they can¡ª

whether that means helping out in the classroom during a one-time special

occasion or volunteering regularly.

Parent-Teacher Conferences Meet with parents and caregivers to share

your observations about their child¡¯s development. Print the child¡¯s Progress

Report from Teacher Space (see page 112) to help you discuss their child¡¯s

progress toward kindergarten readiness.

Family Workshops Host workshops to show families how they can build

children¡¯s literacy at home. Highlight resources on Family Space, support

families with using Big Day BookFlix, or share strategies for reading aloud.

Families and Community ? 35

Families and Community

Introducing Big Day Family Space

Families can log in to Big Day Family Space to see what the class is learning

and stay informed about their child¡¯s progress.

Big Day Family Space

Family Space is a place just for families. Parents and caregivers can log in to

Family Space from any computer with an Internet connection and view the site in

English or Spanish. From the Home Page, they can learn about what their children

are learning in the classroom. Then they can visit Big Day BookFlix to read

theme-related stories and play literacy games to support their children¡¯s learning.

Families can also anticipate developmental milestones with the help of the

Kindergarten Readiness Indicators and explore the links to downloadable books

and resources to support their child¡¯s growth.

Begin by getting the word out! Go to Big Day Teacher Space

() and download the About Family Space family

letter in English or Spanish. Distribute the letter to families to give them all the

information they need to access the exciting games, activities, and resources

available. Consider projecting Family Space ()

on a screen or interactive whiteboard during a family meeting or open house to

highlight key features of the site.

COLLABORATE

with families to keep

children on track and

ready for

kindergarten.

UPDATE

your message from

Teacher Space to

keep families

informed of

classroom events.

Family Space Home Page

36 ? Big Day for PreK Professional Handbook

SUPPORT

families building

literacy at home with

BookFlix and

Downloadable Take

Home Books.

Communicating Online

Ongoing communication with families is important for maintaining the homeschool connection. Big Day Family Space makes it convenient for busy families to

stay connected based on their schedules.

The What We Are Learning section of the Family Space Home Page makes

communicating as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Theme Letter

Families and

Community

Theme Letters are available in English or

Spanish and are automatically generated

once you select the Theme when logged in

to Big Day Teacher Space. Families can read

the brief letter on the Family Space Home

Page or click the link to view a more detailed

letter in PDF form. Each Theme Letter:

? Introduces the theme topic

? Explains learning objectives

? Suggests ideas for supporting

children at home

2. Message From the Teacher

Write your own message to families when

logged in to Teacher Space (see page 113).

Use this space to keep families informed of

classroom learning, upcoming events, or

important reminders.

3. Tip of the Week

A new tip related to the week¡¯s lesson automatically appears each week with ideas

to help families support children¡¯s learning at home. For example, when children

study Things That Move during Theme 3, Week 3, the tip encourages families to

discuss the different modes of transportation they see (e.g., bicycles, cars, buses)

as they go about their errands.

Families and Community ? 37

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