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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