CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Chesapeake Public School's (CPS) new Family and Community Engagement Centers are making it easier for care takers to get involved in their students' education, something education experts say is absolutely critical for lifelong learning.
"It lets kids know, 'Hey, education is important. I'm going to make sure I try my best because the adults in my life care. So I need to care, too," said Laura Lerf, a family and community engagement specialist for CPS.
Laura and education experts say kids shouldn't be the only ones in the classroom.
"The voices of families of parents are so crucial in our K-12 schools," said Dr. Emily Goodman-Scott, the program director of Old Dominion University's graduate counseling program.
She says family involvement in a student's education is critical.
"When school is a welcoming place, and families feel welcome and enthusiastic about learning, I believe that that enthusiasm trickles down to the student," Dr. Goodman-Scott explained. "When they want to go to the school event, their kids are more likely to go to the school event."
According to research by Purdue University, when caretakers are involved in their kid's learning, students are more likely to get better grades, score higher on standardized tests, and have higher aspirations overall.
"A lot of families just didn't know where to go for the help," said Lisa Kerry, a family and community engagement specialist for CPS. "So we wanted to make sure that we had a center, here in the community, where families could come out and feel supported."
CPS's brand new family and community engagement centers, or FACE, aim to make it easier for all types of caretakers, parents and legal guardians to be involved in their child's educational journey. Even right under each desk, parents and students will find a basket full of everything they'll need for the workshops.
"We have a lot of families who are being raised by grand-families and other care caretakers," added Kerry. "So we wanted them to actually have a place to come so that we could talk to them to help them navigate through this process."
For grand-families, FACE centers offer workshops on parenting and technology.
"One of our big, big concerns is technology," continued Kerry. "We have laptops here available. I will show parents how to navigate through Parent View, and actually go through Schoology to be able to see their child's grades."
"We have so many rich, diverse family structures," said Dr. Goodman-Scott. "Parents, grandparents, aunties, single parents, multigenerational families, two moms, two dads...there's such a spectrum of robust, vibrant family structures. And I think it's important that schools feel welcome to these multiple different types of family structures."
And for international families, FACE centers are filled with books in several different languages.
"As a multicultural family ourselves, we really appreciate seeing the books that are in English and in Spanish and in other languages.," said CPS parent, Aminah Bonilla. "We were able to participate in a diversity conversation with other families of different nationalities and have some of those tough conversations about how to break barriers and create unity among the Chesapeake families."
FACE specialists say they have a specialty focus on families of different backgrounds.
"We are going to be having a workshop for our Spanish-speaking families," said Lerf. "To introduce them to school in the United States and let them know how it works. To let them know about how important it is to go to school and attendance. Just giving them the support that they need and letting them know that they're not alone and we are here to support them."
Attending these events, experts say, can drastically change a child's educational experience.
"When I know their families, I know more about their culture, and I'm able to then incorporate more aspects of that culture into the ways that I serve the students," explained Dr. Goodman-Scott. "So it's really a win-win for all parties when families are involved more than just checking homework, but as voices and leaders within the school."
And for parents who may not have the time to attend in-person workshops, FACE centers offer virtual options as well.
Dr. Goodman-Scott says joining a meeting for just 10 minutes, or quickly calling your child's teacher, can make a big difference.
"Reach out to the teachers," she explained. "Say, 'Thank you for what you do... how can I support you as you're teaching my child this year?' And then involvement from there can be as big or as small as what works with the families."
And don't be afraid to ask a school district for additional resources.
"We know that if the families are getting the resources, and we're providing them the resources, the school connection, and the partnership that families have, will be better for our students," explained Kerry. "And then academically, everyone succeeds."
CPS's new FACE centers are located at Crestwood Intermediate School and Camelot Elementary School to best serve two different communities.
You can find out more about the FACE Centers here.
