Report from the "Parent Involvement Institute"
Marlys Gustafson-Bell, Director, Program Support Division, Head Start Bureau

This Head Start Bulletin shares some of the wonderful experiences, strategies, and insights that were part of the Parent Involvement Institute in August 1993. For those who attended the Institute, this Bulletin will be a recap of some of the strategies which can be used by local programs to continue the momentum from the Institute. For those who did not attend, we are presenting information in addition to the strategies on how some of the specific materials can be obtained, as well as suggestions for the kinds of processes that can be used in examining how effectively parents are being involved in local programs.

At the Institute, we affirmed the need for every parent to be able to say that their lives were impacted as much as their child's by their experiences in Head Start. For the Institute, we created a special framework for parent involvement which highlights the vision, opportunities, and strategies for parent involvement within Head Start. That document, Head Start Parent Involvement: Vision, Opportunities and Strategies, says that Head Start's vision "is to create and sustain an environment of partnership and collaboration across all elements of the program which:

Each program should seriously examine whether every parent is being reached and supported in a meaningful way while his/her child is in Head Start. That applies to fathers and mothers, as well as other adults who have a parenting role. At the Institute we said that reaching every parent should be seen as the challenge, opportunity, and responsibility of all staff members. Every staff person needs to be committed to working with parents as full partners and to taking cues from parents on the kinds of activities and support they are interested in - as individuals and as groups.

Several of the plenary speakers, parents, and staff reported that get ting parent participation in the program is most likely to occur when at least one person associated with the program takes a special interest in the parent as an individual with something of value to contribute, when there is a sincere effort by the program to support parents in their many roles, and when there are a variety of opportunities for participation. That means that programs need to be organized and staffed so that there are opportunities and time for meaningful interactions and follow up with parents. Staff also need to be supported in making the connections between and among the components so that the total program reinforces the concept and reality of parents as full partners.

The framework that was developed for the Parent Involvement Institute suggests strategies for how parent involvement can be implemented in Head Start programs. The framework approaches parent involvement in the same manner in which parents experience the program - from their first introduction to the program, through the recruitment and enrollment phase, to their preparation for transitioning out of Head Start. Just like working with children to promote their growth and development, working at parent involvement needs to be envisioned as a developmental process that is limited in time. Programs have an opportunity to impact on parents' lives for only one or two years. There fore, staff need to create opportunities and strategies which will in crease the likelihood of meaning fully connecting with each and every parent as they proceed through the Head Start experience.

At the Institute, the most powerful moments and insights came directly from the parents who helped us learn how to do our jobs better. They shared their experiences, their conclusions, and their suggestions about how we could become better at being more responsive to their hopes, fears, and desires. If your local Head Start program has not recently had a conversation with parents on these subjects, that could be your first step toward more meaningful parent involvement within your program.

Parent involvement is the cornerstone of Head Start's past and future successes. Each of us needs to assure that it is being implemented in every program and with every parent so that it gives parents the opportunities, experiences, skills, and building blocks to help them prepare for a better future. That is the vision of parent involvement in Head Start.

 Report from the "Parent Involvement Institute"
Marlys Gustafson-Bell, Director, Program Support Division, Head Start Bureau

This Head Start Bulletin shares some of the wonderful experiences, strategies, and insights that were part of the Parent Involvement Institute in August 1993. For those who attended the Institute, this Bulletin will be a recap of some of the strategies which can be used by local programs to continue the momentum from the Institute. For those who did not attend, we are presenting information in addition to the strategies on how some of the specific materials can be obtained, as well as suggestions for the kinds of processes that can be used in examining how effectively parents are being involved in local programs.

At the Institute, we affirmed the need for every parent to be able to say that their lives were impacted as much as their child's by their experiences in Head Start. For the Institute, we created a special framework for parent involvement which highlights the vision, opportunities, and strategies for parent involvement within Head Start. That document, Head Start Parent Involvement: Vision, Opportunities and Strategies, says that Head Start's vision "is to create and sustain an environment of partnership and collaboration across all elements of the program which:

Each program should seriously examine whether every parent is being reached and supported in a meaningful way while his/her child is in Head Start. That applies to fathers and mothers, as well as other adults who have a parenting role. At the Institute we said that reaching every parent should be seen as the challenge, opportunity, and responsibility of all staff members. Every staff person needs to be committed to working with parents as full partners and to taking cues from parents on the kinds of activities and support they are interested in - as individuals and as groups.

Several of the plenary speakers, parents, and staff reported that get ting parent participation in the program is most likely to occur when at least one person associated with the program takes a special interest in the parent as an individual with something of value to contribute, when there is a sincere effort by the program to support parents in their many roles, and when there are a variety of opportunities for participation. That means that programs need to be organized and staffed so that there are opportunities and time for meaningful interactions and follow up with parents. Staff also need to be supported in making the connections between and among the components so that the total program reinforces the concept and reality of parents as full partners.

The framework that was developed for the Parent Involvement Institute suggests strategies for how parent involvement can be implemented in Head Start programs. The framework approaches parent involvement in the same manner in which parents experience the program - from their first introduction to the program, through the recruitment and enrollment phase, to their preparation for transitioning out of Head Start. Just like working with children to promote their growth and development, working at parent involvement needs to be envisioned as a developmental process that is limited in time. Programs have an opportunity to impact on parents' lives for only one or two years. There fore, staff need to create opportunities and strategies which will in crease the likelihood of meaning fully connecting with each and every parent as they proceed through the Head Start experience.

At the Institute, the most powerful moments and insights came directly from the parents who helped us learn how to do our jobs better. They shared their experiences, their conclusions, and their suggestions about how we could become better at being more responsive to their hopes, fears, and desires. If your local Head Start program has not recently had a conversation with parents on these subjects, that could be your first step toward more meaningful parent involvement within your program.

Parent involvement is the cornerstone of Head Start's past and future successes. Each of us needs to assure that it is being implemented in every program and with every parent so that it gives parents the opportunities, experiences, skills, and building blocks to help them prepare for a better future. That is the vision of parent involvement in Head Start.

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