PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN HEAD START
TEN DO'S
- Assure that Boards, grantees, and staff understand, accept, and promote the role of parents in Head Start.
- Treat all parents with respect and dignity, and accept them as they are.
- Support the concept that parent involvement is a partnership among parents, staff, agency Board, and Executive Director.
- Assess and respond to the individualized needs, and strengths of each parent in the program.
- Provide appropriate training and orientation for all parents related to the various activities they will become engaged in.
- Provide parents with adequate time, information, and support to assure that all decisions they are asked to make are INFORMED decisions.
- Offer a wide variety of meaningful activities, schedules, and experiences to meet parents' needs, interests, and circumstances.
- Respect and promote appreciation for cultural and religious differences and similarities among parents.
- Recognize and reward parents' contributions to the Head Start program.
- Empower parents to achieve self-sufficiency and independence by preparing them to advocate for themselves and their children and to take on roles within their community as they leave Head Start.
TEN DON'T'S
- Use parents exclusively as classroom volunteers or to alleviate staff shortages.
- Judge, criticize, disrespect, degrade, manipulate, or talk condescendingly to parents.
- Impose one's cultural values or preferences on parents.
- Present parent involvement as an isolated component.
- Measure the success of parent involvement by the frequency of parents' attendance at meetings.
- Allow Policy Council members to interfere with, oversee, supervise, or dictate to staff in day-to-day operations.
- Allow staff to serve on, conduct, control, or dominate Policy Council meetings.
- Restrict the role of the Policy Council to function as a "rubber stamp" in decision-making or as a fund-raising group.
- Allow Head Start centers to operate without a center or classroom committee.
- Place the Policy Council in a position to sign off on documents or make decisions without ensuring that they have sufficient knowledge/information, or have been involved prior to making the decision.