Families and Community

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 Building Literacy With Big Day BookFlix. . . . . . . . .40 Involving the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

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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?

TM It's All About Attitude Remind children that when we think about happy experiences, it helps to boost our happiness and

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.

34 ? Big Day for PreK Professional Handbook

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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:

? 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--chaperoning a field trip, telling a story, reading aloud, organizing a celebration, preparing snack. Encourage families to visit when they can-- 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.

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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.

UPDATE your message from Teacher Space to

keep families informed of classroom events.

Family Space Home Page

SUPPORT families building literacy at home with

BookFlix and Downloadable Take

Home Books.

36 ? Big Day for PreK Professional Handbook

COLLABORATE with families to keep children on track and

ready for kindergarten.

Families and Community

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 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.

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