Parent-Teacher Connection Program |
A Collaboration Between Gesell Institute and
New Haven Public Schools
Background
Gesell Institute, in collaboration with New Haven Public Schools, successfully implemented the Parent-Teacher Connection Program (P-TCP), beginning as a pilot project in the Spring of 2008 and running through the full 2008-2009 academic year. The goal of the pilot program was to promote the school success and adaptation of 4-year-olds in three area early childhood programs, as well as to prepare children and families for Kindergarten transition. A continuation of the program is planned for the 2009-2010 school year pending continued funding.
The P-TCP is based on a successful program previously implemented in Somerville, Massachusetts by Martha Garcia-Sellers, PhD at Tufts University. It is a replication of Dr. Sellers’ Home-School Connection Program (H-SCP) model, modified to fit the needs of the New Haven community and the participating programs. Dr. Sellers served as a consultant in the planning and training phases of the start-up project and continues to be associated with the program in an advisory capacity.
Overview
The program focus is on strengthening communication between parents and teachers, while also addressing children’s school adaptation difficulties due to cultural differences and/or discrepant expectations between home and school. By visiting children and parents in their homes, program personnel (parent-teacher liaisons) are able to inform parents about school activities, educational expectations, and ways in which they can support their children in the transition to school, whether preschool or the more formal school entry of Kindergarten.
Program liaisons also observe children in the classroom setting and meet with teachers to discuss children’s overall adaptation and success, and through this process, recommendations are made to teachers to try to help them understand children’s behavior in the context of their family’s values. Added components to the P-TCP include mentoring of teachers and training on how to conduct home visits and/or communicate more effectively with parents, as well as resource kits for families including books, activities, and other materials to support children’s transition to kindergarten.
The P-TCP promotes school success and adaptation for children by strengthening the connection between home and school, empowering families with information about the transition to kindergarten and with recommendations for interacting with schools and teachers. The effectiveness of the program will be evaluated through the use of both informal and standardized measures. Program data are currently being entered, cleaned, and analyzed.
Program Components
The program model includes the following components.
- Classroom observations of each participating child
- Home visits with the child’s family, including a parent/guardian interview, an in-home child observation if possible, and resource kits
- Teacher meetings with program personnel to provide feedback on the child and to share recommendations on bridging home-school communication
- Team review meetings with other key school personnel, such as Head Start outreach workers, school readiness social service workers, and education coordinators
- Follow-up home visits and/or phone interviews with families including a feedback/ mentoring session to provide support in bridging the gap between home and school
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| Updated October 19, 2011 |
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