Local effort debunks myth that parents are too busy to get involved in after-school programs

May 18, 2006

United Way media contact

Brigid Boyd
Director of Communications
617 624-8252
bboyd@uwmb.org

BOSTON – The results of a four-year effort to more actively engage families in their children’s development, informal learning and academic achievement during out-of-school time programming show that despite today’s hectic schedules, working parents welcome the chance to become more involved. A $1.4 million initiative spearheaded by United Way of Massachusetts Bay and BOSTnet and funded by The Wallace Foundation has found that when after-school programs have the staff, resources and training to engage families, the level of parent involvement increases.

“The research shows that students are better off in after-school programs when their families are involved and engaged with what they are learning and how they are spending their afternoons,” said Milton J. Little, Jr. “It also shows that few programs are equipped to effectively engage families in today’s busy working environment. The results of our four-year Engaging Families Initiative show that when a program is provided with the training and staff support to intentionally and creatively increase communication with and involvement of families, the families welcome those opportunities with open arms.”

Parent involvement, in turn, is key to both the quality of an after-school program and the program’s ability to positively impact youth. A national review by Harvard Family Research Project of after-school programs across the country finds that family involvement in after-school programs yields benefits for young people, from greater involvement in school events to increased family assistance with homework.

The Massachusetts After-School Research Study, released by UWMB last November, also finds that communication with families is a driving force that helps youth succeed. But the statewide study found that only 10 percent of program coordinators said they spoke with parents on a regular basis to provide updates. The most common reason that staff communicated with families was to discuss a problem, such as attendance or a behavioral issue.

The Engaging Families Initiative (EFI) is a United Way effort to develop model programs and proven strategies for increasing family engagement that can be replicated. Eight after-school programs serving black and Latino children ages six to 10 years in Roxbury, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, East Boston and the South End were selected to participate in the initiative, which is funded by The Wallace Foundation and managed by BOSTnet.

Preliminary results of an independent evaluation by the Intercultural Center for Research in Education (INCRE) show that from 2002-2006, EFI programs report:

• More than 80% of families had at least one parent involved in the after-school program, a 20% increase from the 2003 baseline;
• The ways in which parents participated increased significantly and programs offered many more opportunities for parent involvement;
• Programs have become more inclusive and have promoted greater communication with families of diverse languages, cultures and ethnicities; and
• Face-to-face and phone communication with parents increased significantly. (-more-)

“We began this effort with the long-term goal of supporting black and Latino families in engaging in their children’s informal and formal learning,” said Maryellen Coffey, Executive Director at BOSTnet. “While these long-term goals remain the same, we also discovered that many of the strategies we were helping our participating after-school programs to develop could be replicated on a larger scale. Today, we applaud the hard work and dedication of these after-school programs and all the partners in this effort. The lessons learned will help more after-school providers to design and implement comprehensive and realistic ways to link family engagement practices to children’s social development, informal learning and academic growth.”

“The Wallace Foundation believes strongly that programs to support children’s learning and development must engage the whole community—and especially parents,” said Nancy Devine, Director of Arts and Communities, The Wallace Foundation. “We hope that the lessons from The Engaging Families Initiative will inspire providers across the country to find new ways to increase parents’ involvement in afterschool, and build stronger linkages on kids’ behalf.”

After-school programs that participated in United Way ’s Engaging Families Initiative include: Project 21 After-School Program of Bruce Wall Ministries, East Boston YMCA at the Guild, Grace Renaissance After-School Program, Greenwood Shalom After-School Program, Hyde Square Task Force After-School , Roxbury YMCA at Blackstone Elementary School , Roxbury YMCA at Curley Elementary School and Twelfth Baptist Church .

Earlier this year, EFI teamed up with the Harvard Family Research Project to publish Focus on Families! How to Build and Support Family-Centered Practices in After School, a new national guide for after-school providers.The guide presents current research on the benefits and challenges of engaging families after-school and strategies that after-school programs can use to engage families. From the most basic practice of designing a parent suggestion box to the more complex, like offering parents customized leadership opportunities, the guide offers practical approaches aimed at supporting the child’s learning. The guide also recognizes that while younger children may cherish a surprise visit to the classroom by their parent, older youth may prefer engagement that respects their quest for independence, such as seeing their families among others at a formal event.

Strategies recommended by Focus on Families! include:

• Support families by focusing on families as assets, considering the concerns and needs of the families and children served, and by soliciting family input;

• Communicate and build trusting relationships by communicating frequently and in positive ways, being there for families and providing leadership opportunities for families;

• Hire and develop a family-focused staff, such as designating a staff member with family-engagement responsibility and hiring staff who share parents’ experiences and backgrounds; and

• Build linkages across individuals and organizations, such as collaborating with local organizations, offering to act as a liaison between families and schools and helping parents develop skills to advocate for themselves and their children at school.

A complimentary copy of the guide is available to after-school programs on partner web sites uwmb.org, bostnet.org, and hfrp.org.