In our current educational climate, parents are often isolated from their children’s learning, but research shows that children’s literacy is strongest when families are authentically engaged.
Dr. Deborah Bergeron
Deputy Director of Community Engagement and Innovation, National Head Start Association
Although teachers send home activities to promote literacy development — and as children grow, they receive more and more homework that often requires parents’ supervision — the deliberate and authentic engagement of parents in their children’s learning is often inconsistent.
From 2018 to 2021, I served as the director of the Office of Head Start. I arrived in this position having decades of public school teaching and leadership experience. What I learned in those three years about the power of family has significantly impacted the way I approach child development and learning.
As a federally funded, locally administered program, Head Start is held to high standards in all areas critical for child development, but at its very core is the belief that parents are the real partners in their children’s ability to learn and grow. It is through the Head Start experience that I came to truly understand that “parents are a child’s first and most important teacher,” and that children’s learning is strongest when parents are authentically engaged in the process.
Research shows that a child’s brain starts developing long before birth, and in the first five years of life, the brain undergoes its most substantial development, impacting the child throughout their entire life. Children with early literacy support are most likely to become strong readers and ultimately stronger learners overall. What is often overlooked is the role parents play in shaping that early development. A longitudinal study in infant and child development found a strong connection between family involvement in literacy development and reading readiness.
Build trust, build knowledge, build systems
So, what does that mean for teachers and schools working to bridge the home-school connection to improve literacy? In order of importance: build trust, build knowledge, build systems.
First and foremost, parents must trust teachers and schools. Strong, trusting relationships create the foundation for meaningful discussions that invite parents and caregivers into their children’s learning processes. Trust is built over time, through intentionality and sincerity in a nonjudgmental environment. Families need to feel respected, welcomed, and valued. (If you want to see trust-based relationships in action, visit your local Head Start program.)
Next, build knowledge. Parents need a clear understanding of how children develop literacy skills, what is expected over time, how their children are progressing based on those expectations, and what supports can help strengthen their literacy skills. The science behind reading development is accessible to everyone. Schools can play a critical role by sharing clear, practical information about how children learn to read, how progress is measured, and how families can reinforce learning at home.
Finally, build systems that sustain family engagement. Effective systems are reflective and flexible. They use data and lived experience, include parents throughout the process, and adapt over time as the needs of children and communities change.
When parents are seen as assets in their children’s education, schools unlock one of the most powerful resources that, in many cases, remain underutilized — to strengthen children’s learning and long-term success.
