Kinkeade ECS Parent Engagement Plan

Kinkeade Early Childhood 2019-2020 Family Engagement Plan

Kinkeade Early Childhood School will involve parents in two-way meaningful communication addressing student achievement and ensuring: 

• that parents plan an integral role in assisting their child’s learning
• that parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child
• that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education. 

Communication and Parental Involvement

• Promote parent contact by personal phone calls, live conferences, and emails as appropriate.
• Create a safe and respectful environment on all campuses.
• Ensure opportunities for family participation in school events and trainings on family leadership.
• Publicize to parents the availability of programs PK-12.
• Each campus will provide attendance requirements to parents in the campus handbook.
• Provide recognition for community/business partnerships through local media such as Public Information Office, newsletters, District publications, district websites and campus communications.
• Continue to provide training and equipment in order to facilitate effective communication, such as See Saw, TAC, and other technology integration including web pages and grade information.
• Ensure methods of communicating important information to parents without access to email or internet.
• Provide district-wide communications in native languages of the clientele whenever necessary.
• Provide an interpreter for District meetings whenever necessary.
• Build the schools’ and parents’ capacity for parent involvement by providing parents information on monitoring their child’s progress through scheduled progress notices and parent conferences.
• Provide opportunities for family participation in developing clearly defined goals, outcomes, timelines and strategies for assessing progress
• Provide families strategies and tools to enhance and extend student’s learning.
• Provide an annual survey to District stakeholders to evaluate the effectiveness of communication and client relations at the campus and district levels.
• Implement a program to screen and encourage volunteers at all campuses.
• Provide opportunities during extended hours for parents who work during the day to be involved.
• Distribute Parental Involvement Policy to parents and staff.

Student Support

• Clearly communicate high expectations for discipline and student achievement.
• Provide supplemental support through the PK Grant fund source to improve the quality of the PK program.
• Ensure and maintain an average ratio of 1:11 students with in each PK class.
• Pursue and maintain partnerships among positive community resources to help in district-wide student programs.
• Communicate course content and progress monitoring expectations to parents.
• Send progress monitoring reports home.
• Provide parents materials for prevention of drugs, alcohol, violence, physical or verbal aggression, as well as individual and family counseling.
• Continue to provide diversity training and disability awareness.
• Continue to provide students with opportunities to understand and value diverse groups.

Highly Qualified Instruction

• Ensure that all core academic classes are taught by highly qualified teachers.
• Provide opportunities for staff to attend professional development session based on learning domains.
• Ensure that all teachers meet certification eligibility.
• Provide Full Day Tuition Based PK for employee and community.
• Continue to recognize employee contributions through the Shining Star (Non-Teaching Staff) Awards and Impact Award.
• Implement District recognition of campus-selected Teacher of the Year..
• Provide high quality staff development based on campus need as required by the No Child Left Behind Act.
• Each campus will continue a system to implement, evaluate, and communicate effective staff development supporting a highly qualified staff based on data-driven needs and district standards.
• Provide a calendar that allows district-wide staff development opportunities, including diversity training, vertical planning, and other special programs.
• District and campuses will align staff development based on needs assessment.
• Maintain and revise an aligned and integrated district-wide curriculum framework.
• Maintain recruitment strategies to ensure a highly qualified and diverse staff to best serve the needs of Irving ISD students.
• Administer a district survey dealing with job satisfaction and employee morale at each campus with published results and address and monitor areas of concern.

What Parents Can Do

• Tell your children that education is important to you and why.
• Require regular and prompt school attendance.
• Provide a time and location in your home conducive for completing homework.
• Make sure the school has your current address, phone numbers, and email addresses.
• Monitor available technology such as Gradebook, Irving District & Campus Websites, IISD Blog, Twitter, etc.
• Help students eat healthy, get enough sleep, and exercise. Healthy students learn better.
• Assist students to be organized and have the supplies they need for school.
• Know your child’s teachers. If you can’t attend Open Houses or conferences in person, contact the teachers by email or arrange for a phone conference.
• Read information that is sent home (Code of Conduct, Student Handbooks, flyers, planners, etc.) and respond appropriately.
• Volunteer in your child’s school to the extent possible.
• Monitor your child’s progress in school. Know what they are expected to learn and how they are progressing. Hold them accountable for school achievement.
• Support the school in developing positive behaviors in your child that foster a safe learning environment.