Early Childhood

Family Engagement Component

Component Description

Activity/Event

Facilitate Family-to-Family Support

Weslaco ISD’s Early Childhood Program is inclusive and transparent allowing for school and district personnel to create a safe and respectful environment to promote supportive interaction between the families we serve.

• Meet the Teacher Night
• Open House
• Back to School Bash
• Parent-Teacher Conferences
• Adult GED Courses
• Adult ESL Classes
• Adults Skill Courses
• Monthly Parent Meetings hosted at each campus
• Literacy Night
• Family Game Night

Establish a network of community resources

Weslaco ISD’s Early Childhood Program builds strategic partnerships with community resources through ongoing district-wide events.

• Career Day
• Literacy Night
• HEB READ 3
• In His Steps Shoe Bank
• In His Image Uniform Bank
• Assistance with school supplies

Increase family participation in decision making

Weslaco ISD’s Early Childhood Program promotes and increases family participation in decision-making by empowering caregivers as their child’s first teacher and advocate to play an integral role in the decisions that drive our programs.

• District Improvement Committee
• Campus Improvement Committee
• District Advisory Council (DAC)
• Parent Advisory Committee (PAC)
• LPAC Committee Group
• School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC)
• Title One Survey
• Monthly Campus Meetings
• Annual District Survey

Equip Families with tools to enhance and extend learning

Weslaco ISD’s Early Childhood Program provides caregivers multiple opportunities to learn about student progress and ways to support the student’s learning at home.  Additionally, Weslaco ISD offers caregivers personal extended learning opportunities. 

• Family Conferences
• ESL Classes
• GED Classes
• Cake Decorating Classes
• Sewing Classes
• Campus Newsletters
• Campus Calendars
• Campus Parent Volunteer Program
• District Home Access Center
• District and Department Webpage(s)

Family Engagement Component

Component Description

Activity/Event

Providing ongoing professional development opportunities to educators.

Weslaco ISD’s Early Childhood Staff participate in professional learning development opportunities to support and use culturally diverse, culturally relevant, and culturally responsive family engagement strategies and enhance instruction.

• PK Guidelines
• Heggerty Phonics
• Scholastic Classroom Libraries
• Scholastic PK On My Way Curriculum (PK3)
• SAVVAS Three Cheers Curriculum (PK4)
• Region One Early Childhood Series
• Technology with Young Learners
• Resources in CLI Engage and Circle Progress Monitoring

Evaluate family engagement efforts and use results for continuous improvement.

Weslaco ISD’s Early Childhood Program allows for an ongoing campus/district needs assessment cycle to seek input in the areas of improving the quality of instruction, climate, and family engagement.

• Campus Improvement Plan Cycle
• District Improvement Plan
• Title I Parent Survey
• District Performance Report
• District Parent Survey
• Campus Needs Assessment
• Family Participation Attendance Data

Transition Activities:

• Engage with local childcare providers to share and align best practices for family engagement, setting and communicating learning goals, and student progress monitoring
• Provide school tours/visits with local child care providers and community to encourage smooth transitions to kindergarten
• Create a transition plan to support children and families moving from one grade to the next

Linguistic & Culturally Inclusive Practices:

• Use culturally relevant materials in the classroom
• Use home languages for communication and correspondence
• Ensure Human Resources Department routinely implements linguistically and culturally inclusive hiring practices
• Provide ongoing professional development on culturally responsive topics with an early childhood focus

Conclusion:

The Weslaco Independent School District High Quality Prekindergarten Family Engagement Plan is one of the strategies our district used to guide collaborative success to produce Kindergarten ready students.  The positive relationships between staff and families that Weslaco ISD promotes through the HQPK Family Engagement Plan, help build a shared understanding of how we can work together to ensure every child will reach their full potential to enter WISD classrooms Kindergarten ready.