Parent Partnerships

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

Bethany Busy Bee Early Learning Center’s success in offering a quality, early learning school education in a loving, Christian environment benefits from the partnership with parents and the church.

For children, parent involvement demonstrates that education and school experiences are valued, and positive learning outcomes are closely linked to parent participation.

For teachers and staff, the support of our parents enriches our classroom and school environment as we benefit from their many ideas, interests, talents, and resources.

For parents, classroom participation provides an opportunity to gain insight and understanding of child development. When parents play essential roles both in and out of the classroom, they become strong advocates for their children and strengthen home-to-school connections. Parent participation means a greater investment and a greater return.      

We offer various opportunities for parents to partner with Bethany Busy Bee to enhance their child’s early learning school experience. The special events we offer are truly more special when parents are around to share the moment. Parents are invited to volunteer one hour each month, or 9 hours each school year. There are a variety of ways and opportunities to meet these hours, depending on your interests, abilities and availability. If you have a special talent that you would like to help with but it is not listed, please speak with the Director.

We also have several opportunities for parents to lead or act as in an advisory role in the following areas: Governance Team as a parent representative, Samaritan’s Purse, Silent Auction, Fall Festival, Rodeo Days, Thanksgiving Feast, Room Parent, or Teacher Appreciation.

Parent Participation and Volunteer Opportunities are available throughout the school year. You may choose from School Wide Special Events, Reoccurring Needs, Classroom Specific Needs, and participating in school fundraisers by attending and/or providing food, beverage or cash donations.

We use Sign Up Genius for most of our volunteer opportunities which allows you to sign up online. You may access a list of available volunteer opportunities with this link: Volunteer Opportunities List

Learning Begins at Home
Tips for Parents

Between birth and age 18, children spend less than 10 percent of their time in school. That’s why the home environment and what children learn there is so important. Here are some ways you can help your children learn at home.

1. Establish routines. Children thrive on orderliness. Have a schedule for meals, play and work. Set a regular bedtime. A routine at home helps a child adapt to and work in the classroom routine.

  • Have child help set up the table for the meals (counting how many napkins & utensils need to be set).
  • Picking up toys before playing with another toy or another area.

2. Spend time each day talking with your child about his interests, activities and friends. Conversation (spoken language) is the foundation for reading and writing skills and also helps children learn to formulate their thoughts. There are many opportunities to learn through conversations such as:

  • Calendar- what day of the week it is including month and date each morning.
  • Plans for the day- breakfast, get ready for school, go to school, go to the grocery store after school, put gas, play for a little bit while mommy puts the groceries away and makes dinner, have dinner, take a bath, and get ready for bed.
  • Grocery Store-talk about what you need to buy (ask them to remind you to get certain items), which isle do you think it is, ask them to help you find the item (cereal, milk, bread, etc) you need.
  • Meal conversations- use topics such as “if I were an (animal, superhero, toy, insect, profession, etc) what/which would I be and why?” Or “my favorite (toy, season, color, food, desert, car, game, tv show, restaurant, place to visit, book, etc) and why?” Be deep and descriptive with memories of why. Kids love stories of when you were a child.

3. Give your child responsibilities at home such as keeping his room tidy or helping take care of a pet. Kids love to be helpful. Allow them to help sort the clothes when doing laundry (put all whites in this stack, etc), help place clothes into dryer, match socks together. Assign your child at least one activity a day that contributes to the family such as putting their dishes in the kitchen counter after they are done eating, throwing their napkin away, putting their clothes in the hamper when they get into their pajamas, hand over clean dishes to you to be put away. 

4. Play games that reinforce language skills. While driving talk about the weather, what climate you and other family members prefer and ask what he prefers. If there is construction, explain what you think they are doing providing various options (I think they are making a parking garage for the light rail so people can go and park their car while the person takes light rail train into downtown or maybe it’s a business building, whatever they are building they sure are digging a big hole. What do you think they are building?) Or point out familiar buildings that you frequent (look there is our church, there is our grocery store, there is our bank, there is the mall, there is Apple Bees remember we went there yesterday?). Come up with words that start with each letter of the alphabet such as A-Airplane, apple, antenna by taking turns by one person saying one word then it’s the next person’s turn over and over again. When you run out of words with that letter you go to the next letter of the alphabet. You can later specify only animals, food, names of people, famous people etc. that start with that letter to make it more challenging.

5. Decorate your child’s room with a wall map of Colorado, the United States or the world. Point out the places you have visited, lived in, have family living, places you would love to visit and why. When you go to places with maps such as the zoo, show your child where you are in the map, where you are going next, if you have to go to the restroom where it is, etc.

6. Make sure there is plenty of reading material in your home. Take your child to the library. Consider subscribing to an appropriate children’s magazine. Set a good example by reading instead of watching TV. When reading to your child:

  • Look at each page pointing out to every picture and as you read relate the picture to what you just read. (This must be Bob because he is holding the pail and this must be Jack because he is holding the shovel.) or (who is holding the pail? So that must be Bob and who is holding the shovel? So that must be Jack)
  • Ask questions. For example, it said it was sunny, what is that? (pointing to the sun) or what do you think is going to happen next? Or how do you think they feel? Why do you think he is smiling?
  • Have your child retell the story. Or encourage discussion afterwards by saying that was a great story I like when or how this happened and ask your child what they liked best from the story.
  • Praise your child as they respond. This reassures them, builds their confidence and makes reading so much more enjoyable. (Yes! That,s right! Or that is a good possibility, let’s find out).

7. Allow your child to assist in planning meals when possible by providing options that you are willing and able to make. Such as: I am thinking of making salmon for dinner. What do you think, should we have it with rice or pasta? Should we have broccoli or zucchini? That’s a great idea, I think that is perfect. Thank you for helping me figuring out dinner. It will also make the child more willing to eat what was their decision.

8. Display your child’s schoolwork. Let your child know you are proud of what he accomplishes in school. Go over what they bring home, praising their work and reviewing what they did. This re-enforces the material and brings a sense of value to what they work on at school.

9. Plan family activities that can broaden your child’s interests and provide intellectual stimulation. A trip to the zoo, aquarium, an art gallery, a museum, a historical site, or nature walk can be both fun and educational. Learn new recipe, board game, skill or sport with your child. Show that learning is a lifelong activity.

10. Explain how things work, the process or the purpose. From when you go to the bank, grocery store, gas station, car wash, hair dresser/barber shop to what a mail man, ups trucks, or garbage trucks do and/or the purpose of clocks, signal lights, smoke alarms, highways, and train track crossings. 

 Parents are a child’s most important teachers. Form a partnership with your child’s teacher and support your school community. By working together, you will help your child be a successful student, a lifelong learner, and a productive citizen.

These tips brought to you by the teachers in your community, members of the Colorado Education Association.

Public Schools Work for Colorado