Parent Involvement

Parents Are Essential Partners

Parents and caregivers play a central role in their child’s learning and development. Head Start and Early Head Start encourage families to work with teachers and program staff, share knowledge about their child, and participate in decisions that affect their family’s experience.

Ways Families Can Participate

• Take part in classroom activities, family events, workshops, and program meetings.
• Communicate regularly with teachers about the child’s interests, progress, routines, and needs.
• Support learning at home through reading, conversation, play, and everyday activities.
• Help establish goals for the child and family in partnership with program staff.
• Volunteer or contribute individual skills, ideas, and cultural traditions.
• Participate in parent committees or other opportunities that help guide program planning.

Learning at Home

Everyday family routines offer valuable learning opportunities. Parents can build language and thinking skills by reading together, asking open-ended questions, singing songs, counting familiar objects, and inviting children to help with age-appropriate household tasks.

Consistent communication between families and staff helps connect classroom learning with children’s experiences at home.

Family Growth and Leadership

Parent involvement can extend beyond the classroom. Families may work with program staff to identify personal goals, connect with community resources, strengthen parenting skills, and develop leadership or advocacy experience.

Each family can choose forms of participation that fit its interests, schedule, language, culture, and circumstances.