Families

Is your child beginning Kindergarten and you have some questions – Start with this booklet: Ready for Success – What Families Want to Know about Starting School in Nebraska.
(Nebraska Department of Education, Office of Early Childhood 2012)

Family Time Machine! is fueled by your families imagination! It recharges its batteries when your family turns moments of togetherness into family time by learning, imagining and playing together!

The PTA developed a Student Success booklet that sweeps through K-12 learning expectations. Booklets can be printed out for each grade level.

Middle, High & Post High School Resources

National PTA, Parents’ Guides to Student Success

Nebraska Career Connections provides education and career planning resources.

The Family Engagement for High School Success Toolkit: Planning and implementing an initiative to support the pathway to graduation for at-risk students

Family Engagement for High School Success: Creating a Plan of Action
Webinar 1: Wednesday, December 7, 2011
View archive here: http://uww.adobeconnect.com/p7mejlnq75d/

NEBRASKA.GOV – Information about individual school districts and Pell Grants & FAFSA is located on this site.

This toolkit from the U.S. Department of Education and Office of English Language Acquisition provides information, tips, and resources that EL families may need as they prepare to enroll their children in public schools across the United States.
English Learner Family Toolkit

Welcome to ¡Colorín Colorado! ¡Bienvenidos!
This bilingual section was created just for parents and families to provide you with the information you need to help your child become a good reader and a successful student.

APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Family Time with Apps: A Guide to Using Apps with Your Kids.
The guide provides tips on how and why to use apps together in everyday routines and situations.
Other app choices suggested by Harvard Family Research Project are found at this site.

EDUTOPIA
Project-Based Learning: Resources for Parents
Students learn important content through Project Based Learning (PBL) by investigating questions, generating original ideas, and working collaboratively to produce products that demonstrate what they have learned. Visit this site to learn four ways to get involved in your child’s PBL learning experience.

Parent Partnership in Education: Resource Roundup (posted 3.16.2017)
Experts agree that parent involvement in education is one of the biggest predictors of student success. Edutopia compiled this list of articles, videos, and other resources to help you engage productively with your kids’ teachers and school.

FAMILY WELLNESS
How Brains are Built: The Core Story of Brain Development
The Alberta Family Wellness Initiative launched their first animated video, which presents the core story of brain development in an accessible and visually engaging format for public audiences. October 2013, Palix Foundation

GEMS EDUCATION
Dr Karen Mapp on Parents as Agents of Change
The 9 minute video clip, encourages and shares how parents can be the change agent in our schools.   Dr. Mapp is a senior lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the faculty director of the Education Policy and Management masters program.

KEEP CONNECTED
Parent Further is a website for parenting all ages.  Hot Topics, along with tips and strategies that will assist with daily parenting concerns as well as general developmental expectations are included.

KEEP LEARNING CALIFORNIA
Questions Families Should Ask Teachers (posted 10.27.2020)

MANHATTAN STRATEGY GROUP
Five Resources for Family Engagement: Helping Families Prevent Summer Learning Loss (posted 3.29.2016)
Summer is a perfect time for students of all ages, races/ethnicities, nationalities, and socio-economic levels to strengthen and reinforce their academic skills and still have ample time for summer activities.

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH
How to Help Your Child Become a Better Writer (posted 2.16.2018)
This position statement offers suggestions for helping a child become a better writer, both at home and at school.

NATIONAL RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD CLEARINGHOUSE
The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse is an Office of Family Assistance (OFA) funded national resource for fathers, practitioners, programs/Federal grantees, states, and the public at-large who are serving or interested in supporting strong fathers and families.

PTA – PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION
PTA has developed National Standards for Family-School Partnerships, helping your school increase family engagement is a win-win for all.

Notes from the Backpack: A PTA Podcast (posted 9.17.2019)
A Podcast for Parents, by Parents
National PTA
Each 30-minute podcast will give you the inside scoop on how to help your child succeed in and out of school. Hear unique perspectives from experts, parents and educator guests who will give you real-life advice and ideas you can use.

100 Ways To Help Your Child and School Succeed (posted 2.16.2018)
This brochure provides 100 ideas for parents to get involved with their child’s education.

The Smart Talk, PTA
The smart talk get parents and kids together to have a clear conversation about all the devices you use and how to be responsible.

READING ROCKETS
Get Ready for Summer!
Literacy ideas to share with families

SCHOOL COMMUNITY NETWORK   (posted 8.28.2018)
A Guide for Families: Helping Your Child Succeed in School
A research-based guide to help you understand:
State Learning Standards
College and Career Readiness
Parent Practices to Help Children Learn
Family-School Relationships

US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Understanding the Every Student Succeeds Act: A Parent’s’ Guide to the Nation’s Landmark Education Law (Posted 10.19.2018)

View other USDE ESSA resources (Posted 10.19.2018)

Parent Checklist to Help Empower Families to Support Children’s Success in School (posted 12.9.2015)
Questions and resources that parents and caregivers can use to help ensure their children are getting the education they deserve. The checklist suggests key questions, tips for educational success and resources for more information.

Helping Your Child with Homework
US Department of Education website containing resources for families. Site provides information about parent involvement topics including homework. Resources are also available in Spanish.

Homeroom: The official BLOG of the US Department of Education

  • Educational Rights for Parents/Families
    This checklist follows the set of rights that the USDE recently released outlining what families should be able to expect for their children’s education.
  • Parent Checklist
    Developed by USDE in collaboration with groups such as the National PTA, National Council of La Raza, and the United College Fund, this 3 page document lists questions parents should ask at school, advice on next steps for parents with concerns, and other resources.

Questions Families Should Ask Teachers (Spanish)

Keep Learning California

Desarrollar una sociedad fuerte con el maestro de tu hijo es esencial para que siga aprendiendo tu hijo. Aquí hay una preguntas claves para empezar una conversación con el maestro de tu hijo. Te darán información importante sobre expectativas, guianza, recursos y apoyo para que puedas reforzar el aprendizaje en casa.

National PTA – Parent and community involvement in education leads to improved academic success among children

Nebraska Department of Education Academic Standards Website

Read-At-Home Plan for Student Success
Kindergarten – 3rd Grade
Reading with children outside of school is the best way to help them achieve strong early literacy. This resource was created to assist you in understanding how to support your child’s reading development and progress.

Updated March 25, 2023 6:11pm