January Newsletter | School and Home: Working Together

Lea este artículo en español aquí.

Educators, parents, and caregivers share a common goal: to recognize and meet each child’s unique strengths and needs. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified parents’ and caregivers’ firsthand experiences with their child’s instruction, and learning­ in the home has reached an all-time high. Many educators and families also report that this unexpected and challenging scenario has brought them closer together! Supporting effective instruction in the home is invaluable for students, families, and educators alike.

Using Effective Strategies at Home

The STAR, Links, and SOLER curricula all use strategies that are researched and proven to help children make progress—while meeting the needs of the individual child. Many of these valuable strategies, including behavioral interventions identified in the National Standards Report, can be used at home, too! To help train caregivers to support their child at home and in the community, we are launching an all-new live workshop series: Working Together: A Series for Caregivers (Primary | Secondary)! In this series, parents and caregivers learn more about behavior, using environmental supports, teaching and supporting language, thriving through play and social skills, and much more! Contact us for more information.

Collaboration

The experts agree: Caregivers and educators are most successful when they work as a team. Here are some top tips for establishing an ongoing and successful relationship:

• Establish shared goals and participate in IEP development.
• Parents and caregivers can share information about their child through our get to know me questionnaire (English | Spanish).
• Discuss how to generalize skills between school and home using evidence-based strategies. Families can learn more from these brochures on the STAR (English | Spanish) and Links (English | Spanish) curricula!

Free Home Supports

Each family is the expert on their child, and it is important to acknowledge their unique beliefs, values, cultures, and family structures. Explore our free Family Routines and Fun With Family supports for meals, bedtime, games, and more—ready to enrich family life today!