Involve Families
Encourage Attendance at Family Sessions
Each Committee for Children program includes materials for leading a program overview session or sessions for families. To help increase parent interest in these sessions, consider the following:
- Have students help with parent recruitment (for example, have them write personal invitations or host a party for the class with the most parent attendees).
- Have children perform skits or role-plays during the session to demonstrate skills and encourage parent attendance.
- Promote the event on TV, radio (public service announcements), the Web, or newspaper (community calendar listings).
- Put informational fliers in grocery/department store bags or decorate grocery bags highlighting the parent sessions.
- Staff a table at a local grocery store with students who tell people in one minute or less about the program.
- Provide door prizes/incentives. Local businesses may be willing to donate merchandise or gift certificates.
- Do a phone tree to help with recruitment and reminder calls. Contacts made in the native language of caregivers can be helpful in encouraging them to attend.
- Keep the session short, fun, entertaining, and pleasant for caregivers to attend.
Make It Easier to Attend
Families are much more likely to attend family sessions if they are convenient. Try the following suggestions to make it easier:
- Provide translations of the presentation in the languages needed in your school. Caregivers can also be grouped by language with a volunteer interpreter seated with them.
- Provide transportation or transportation vouchers.
- Provide meals/snacks. These can be donated by a local business.
- Offer the session at different times of the day to accommodate varied work schedules (before school, during lunch time, after school, or in the evening).
- Offer the session on different days of the week (weekdays and weekends).
- Offer the session at various locations around town (for example, community centers, churches, schools).
- Hold the session before or after another event at or near the training site (for example, a concert or sporting event).
- Provide child care or tutoring during the session.
