Tips and information on INVOLVING SINGLEPARENT FAMILIES Karlee

Tips and information on INVOLVING: SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES Karlee Bonander, Kirsten Klug, Gabrielle Smithley

Tips to involve Single-Parent Families: Get to know family lifestyles & living conditions: Help develop support groups for parents within your school: You want to be able to provide families with valid and reliable information based on their situations and circumstances. For instance, you can recommend that every child has a quiet place to study; but this may be an impossible demand for some households. And, when asking for parents’ help, be sensitive to their talents and time constraints. Such as discussion groups and classes on parenting. Be sure to consider the needs and abilities of single-parent families in your family involvement activities and programs.

Eliminate stress for kids: When planning a holiday gift or just a gift made in the classroom, don’t say “this is for Mom” or “this is for Dad”. Instead, say “this is for someone special” http: //www. jstor. org/discover/10. 2307/20200749? uid=3739856&uid=2129&uid=2& uid=70&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21101370197283

Eliminate stress for students and parents: Make terms such as stepmother, stepfather, widow, etc. as part of the classroom so if a child does have only one parent they don’t view it in a negatively different way of life. Keep lines of communication open to the parent. http: //www. jstor. org/stable/20 200749 http: //singleparents. about. com/od/your childseducation/qt/parent_teacher_com munication. htm They do have a busy schedule and efficient ways of communication like email, provide an easy way for the parent to stay involved in their child’s schooling.

Facilitate Parental Connections to the school: This is one of the top 5 ways teachers can help children from single-parent families. Allow single-parents to come in at special times that fit around their schedule so that they can still feel involved in their child’s classroom and the child can feel like his or her classmates that have parents coming in a volunteering.

Things to remember: Remember that single-parent families have a limited about of time to spend on involvement with their children’s schooling and with them at home. Make sure that as a teacher you are valuing their time too. Meeting with the parents should start and end on time and have a list of items to discuss. You should have examples of their child’s work and make suggestions specific to the single parents environment.