Scholastic Family and Community Engagement

Scholastic Family and Community Engagement

Family and Community Engagement Building relationships that support student success

Countless studies have found that children perform better in school when their families build a strong literacy foundation at home and are involved in their children’s academic journey. Scholastic Education can help you empower families to become literacy advocates for their children. Through take- home books and activities for children, literacy workshops and resources for families, and professional learning for teachers and administrators, we can help build the capacity of your entire school community. Families Are Children’s First and Most Influential Teachers

Children with involved families:

Adapt better to school and attend school more regularly Exhibit faster rates of literacy acquisition Have better behavior, peer interactions, and social skills Earn higher grades, graduate, and go on to higher education Have enhanced skills for regulating emotions and better mental health

School Success Begins with Reading at Home

One of the most effective ways to improve reading achievement is to increase access to books. Yet, on average, families from low-income communities have only four children’s books in their homes, and more than 60% have no books at all for their children. How can we help you increase students’ access to books? Take-Home Books: Become a member of our Family and Community Engagement program to provide engaging books in English and Spanish. Scholastic subsidizes all books purchased for student ownership by up to 68%, provides free shipping, and offers 10 free bonus books for every $150 you spend. Join for free at scholastic.com/FACE. Or purchase our book collections for students: My Books Every Day: Enrich students’ reading opportunities with this diverse collection of books and activity sets that reinforce learning skills and encourage year-round reading. My Books Summer: Offset the summer slide with these high-interest take-home book packs in English and Spanish to keep kids reading and writing all summer long.

Put More Books into Students’ Hands and Homes

Summer: Support a summer leap by sending every child home with engaging books.

F all: Welcome children back to school and start their home library with take-home books. Then host a book distribution event for the holidays. After all, literacy is the gift that keeps on giving!

Winter: Send children home for the winter break with additional books to add to their home library collection.

Spring: Reward good attendance, personal growth, academic achievement, and more with take-home books!

Build Families’ Capacity to Support Literacy Development

Every family wants the best for their children , but many may need guidance on how to support their children’s literacy development in and out of school. Your family and community engagement initiatives should teach the strategies, routines, and activities that support school readiness and reinforce reading development at home.

A Strong Foundation for School Readiness in PreK Read and Rise: Offer research-based literacy workshops for families that provide strategies for building text-rich environments at home. Available in English and Spanish, this program provides take-home books and other parent resources for participating families. School Readiness Kits: Empower families to help children build essential foundational skills in preparation for kindergarten. English and Spanish bilingual kits come packed with more than 80 fun activities for families to do with their children. Engaging Families: Support families through research-based, easy-to-implement workshops that teach families how to build their children’s literacy skills during everyday activities.

Continuous Support throughout Elementary School Scholastic Literacy Events: Develop students’ fluency and comprehension via read-alouds and literacy-rich activities. These kits include everything you need to throw a successful literacy event that encourages families to nurture a love of reading and writing.

Empower Teachers and Administrators to Build Partnerships with Families

Implementing family and community engagement initiatives requires a focused commitment to improving communication between home and school and engaging families from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Our professional learning services teach creative ways to cultivate and sustain positive relationships with families and the greater community to ultimately help each student reach his or her potential.

Professional Learning Courses, Coaching, and Resources Consultative planning for school and district leaders to develop systemic family engagement practices A family engagement assessment to determine how welcome families are in your school and the learning process Courses for teachers and administrators: Foundations of Family Engagement Implementing Capacity-Building Literacy Events Establishing a Model Family Resource Center Dr. Karen Mapp’s Family Engagement Workshop Series Family engagement coaching to apply new ideas to routine practice Professional learning books, including Powerful Partnerships by Dr. Karen Mapp

It Takes a Village! Engage community members, families, and older students to serve as role models and instill a love of reading in all children. REAL: Provide the tools to recruit, encourage, and equip mentors to inspire children and help build their literacy skills. BrainStorm: Pair teens and young adults with students to strengthen their reading comprehension, decoding, and critical- thinking skills. Mentors utilize guides that align with student magazines and books.

Cover photo © MoMo producations/Getty Images. Interior images by Kimberly Sing for Scholastic Inc. ∙ 2203-03 7/20

To learn more, visit scholastic.com/education or call 1-800-387-1437.

A Comprehensive Approach to Literacy Literacy Instruction • Professional Learning • Family and Community Engagement

2203-03 07/20