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Parents and families play a major role in the success of their children’s education. Types of investment such as time taken to monitor academic progress, committing to school activities and working with the school to support their children. A successful home-school partnership has shown positive outcomes in students.
So how can parents play an active part in partnering with schools?
We’ve explored what a home-school partnership is and gotten an idea of why it is important. However, is it truly effective?
You may have heard this term before, perhaps dropped during parent-teacher conferences or during school orientations. (Note: it is not the same as family involvement in school). Home-school partnerships involve a willing and intentional collaboration between the school and family.
An effective home-school partnership is a working relationship between teachers, family and students that leads to positive academic and social outcomes. Families and schools acknowledge their investment in children and work together to achieve common goals and take equal responsibility for children’s learning.
How much time should teachers spend to work on social and emotional learning (SEL) with students? The answer is that there is no time limit. SEL has to be taught and embedded throughout the day, in order for these learnings to permeate real life.
Picking up skills and hearing examples in school is one thing; however, connecting the dots in real life is another. To bridge the gap between personal development and real-world application, here are some tips.
It is clear that understanding and managing one’s social and emotional situations well impacts learning outcomes. Academic and social issues are by no means mutually exclusive. There are five key social and emotional skills that children (and adults) can pick up – self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, responsible decision-making and relationship building.
So, while social and emotional learning (SEL) is not a singular subject that is taught four or five times a week, it should actually be woven into most, or every aspect of the school curriculum. And let us share why SEL is so important to children and adults.
Parents, we feel you. It’s not easy to constantly worry about whether our children will grow up strong, healthy and to be a good person. Survival in this world is not enough – we need them to thrive. Unfortunately there is no winning formula to guarantee this. However, one of the tools we can equip our children with is social and emotional learning, to develop skills like empathy, communication and self-management. Such are the soft skills that will tide them through their daily lives and foster meaningful relationships.
We are facing a turning point in our COVID-19 journey. Across the world, there is a cautious optimism towards some semblance of normalcy. Borders have opened and so have our school doors. For parents of children who were toddlers in the thick of the pandemic, now’s the time to plan for their preschool education.
How do parents prioritize safety and education? With the many preschools available, how can parents decide on the right preschool in times like these?
Why do schools focus so much on student attendance and implement punitive measures when students chronically do not show up?
There are a few reasons beyond the simple one of attendance being the “rule”. Chronic absenteeism begins in the early ages. In fact, more than 10 per cent of kindergarten students and first graders are chronically absent (missing 10 per cent or more of school days). Students with high absenteeism rates are more likely to fall behind in math and reading, and dropping out of school later on.
High rates of chronic absenteeism are reflective of a school’s culture. When attendance is de-prioritized, students’ morales may be diminished, affecting their affinity to school, a trait necessary for safe schools. Incorporating smart school management technology into school safety measures may therefore be a part of the solution in aiding the tracking of student attendance.
When students' safety needs are met, the learning environment becomes comfortable and conducive. Schools are responsible for ensuring they are safe and accounted for during the day.
In current society, “times like these” would refer to the ongoing pandemic and any ongoing situation that has potential to disrupt children’s school and family lives.
Strengthened communication, transparency and trust are key in not only keeping up with children’s school lives, but also any new infection control measures. It may be hard to keep up with their lives especially if they do not openly share how their days have gone. An open, two-way communication between parents and teachers will ensure that any feedback and concerns are addressed.
Parents who have a good relationship with their children’s school have children that demonstrate the following behavior:
Some ways to strengthen communication between schools and parents include the following:
At LittleLives, we’re all about helping parents. In fact, our software is a part of 180,000 parents’ day-to-day routines. Through our interactions with not just parents, but also teachers, we’ve found that the process of choosing a preschool is complex. It is also less about finding the perfect preschool, but more so the right preschool for your child.
Starting school early can show you the type of support your child may need in the later years of their education. Your child may also be better equipped with the social skills to navigate kindergarten.
So how do you choose the right preschool for your child? Read on to find out.