Get families in your community involved, empowered and engaged with Family-Engagement Nights.
EMPOWERING EVENTS CREATE ENGAGEMENT
Connecting families and schools for student success is the core purpose and value of PTA. So when PTAs offer programs, activities and events for families to actively participate in school life, it helps to improve student outcomes and school performance from preschool to high school.
Family Engagement Nights are a great way to reinforce these ties between home and school: By bringing families together on campus, these events provide opportunities to create a more welcoming, accessible and inclusive school cultures.
They are also an effective way to share information, activities and resources to:
- Enhance student achievement
- Highlight what students are doing in class
- Support student learning at home
- Boost school improvement to meet whole-school goals
- Motivate students for long-term educational success.
Whether it’s a Family Storytelling or Math Night at elementary school, Family Science Mystery or Art Night at middle school or a Family Fitness or Career Night at high school, Family Engagement Nights increase awareness of what students need to be successful. They also help build a stronger community support system so that students can thrive in school and beyond.
GET FAMILY-ENGAGEMENT NIGHTS GOING
The most valuable Family Engagement Nights are linked to student achievement, wellness and safety. These are key factors affecting how well a student is doing at school. When you organize Family Engagement Nights as a PTA leader, keep these main factors in mind to offer events that enrich the educational experience and overall well-being for all students.To get started in planning a Family Engagement Night at your school, work closely with the principal, teachers and staff to identify:
- Priorities – Collect feedback on what topics are the most relevant and what days/times work best by surveying your school community
- Themes – Focus on a single theme related to a topic such as reading, math, art, science, fitness, health, wellness or safety
- Goals – Set one or two goals for the event such as to inform parents about the important role they play in student learning, to boost parent awareness of grade level standards or to provide ways to support learning at home
- Activities – Choose hands-on activities for all ages to interact, have fun and learn together
- Formats – Plan to set up multiple stations with instructions and materials, in home languages, for families to rotate through at the event
- Access – Provide activities, food and drinks at low or no cost to make it easier for all families to participate
- Resources – Supply handouts on how families can try these activities and others at home.
Matching the theme, goals and activities of your Family Engagement Nights to community interests helps ensure that the event is a meaningful and valuable experience for families of all neighborhoods.
To put together a successful Family Engagement Night, check out PTA programs, resources and tools.
TAKE ACTION WITH TURNKEY PROGRAM
Is your PTA interested in organizing Family Reading Nights to boost student literacy? Make it happen with our turnkey program, The PTA Family Reading Experience, Powered By Kindle.
It has all of the resources you need to help elementary students become better readers with:
- Reading modules, activities and games to engage the entire family in learning
- Choice of fun themes, such as On a Safari, Under the Sea, Out of this World, Around the World
- Parent strategies to make a difference in reading comprehension and motivation
- PTA Leader’s Guide with tools and templates to run a successful Family Reading Night.
Learn more, download the reading modules, check out other resources and get started in offering a Family Reading Night at your school.
SAMPLE SCHEDULE
- 3:30 pm – Set Up
- 5:00 pm – Sign In & Dinner
- 5:45 pm – Welcome & Event Overview
- 6:00 pm – 4 Stations (15 minutes each)
- 7:15 pm – Share Takeaways
- 7:30 pm – Clean Up