• Sunset Park Center for Accelerated Studies

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    Title I Local Educational Agency Plan 2024-2025 LEA Parent and Family Engagement Policy

    (Drafted 3-1-17)

    Below is the district’s Parent and Family Engagement Policy, which has been developed jointly with, agreed upon with, and distributed to the parents and families of participating students. This policy should reflect those requirements of Section 1118 of Title I, Part A.

    1. аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û²éѯ will involve parents and families in the joint development of its district wide parental and family engagement plan under section 1112 of the ESEA by convening a committee of representative parents and family members who meet annually to revise and update the district’s policy. Parents are encouraged to be active members of the committee and are solicited through school newsletters and the district’s website. Recommendations and revisions to the LEA Parent and Family Engagement Policy are welcome and such actions will be taken where reasonable and feasible. All parents will be given opportunities for feedback by contacting the district and schools.
    2. аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û²éѯ will provide the following necessary coordination, technical assistance, and other support to assist Title I, Part A schools in planning and implementing effective parental and family engagement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance through the district’s ParentSmart Parent Education Partnership which provides parent educators who conduct home visitations. Home visits are to empower the parents to be their child’s first and most influential teacher by modeling interactions between parent and child, sharing developmentally appropriate materials and information in the home. Workshops are also offered in the Title I schools as well as the Family Resource Center, and parent lending libraries have been established in all Title I Schools. At the Family Resource Center, additional services to support parents and the children are available to include on-site support agencies and medical clinics for the uninsured and underinsured children and parents.
    3. аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û²éѯ builds schools’ and parents’ capacity for strong parental and family involvement by providing two Parent Teacher Specialists responsible for providing on-going workshops and staff developments in the areas of ELA and Mathematics, providing translators for English Learner parents and families during student conferences, providing services for parents and families through the ParentSmart Program, and the availability of resources for parents through Parent lending libraries at schools and ParentSmart.
    4. аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û²éѯ will coordinate and integrate parental and family engagement strategies in Title I, Part A under the following other programs: The district is actively involved with First Steps and the Early Learning Partnership of York County through collaboration with other district Parent Education / Family Literacy Programs in York County. First Steps and the Sisters of Mercy Foundation have provided grants for additional parent educators and for materials and supplies to provide direct services to parents and children. All Parent Educators in Rock Hill are certified in the Parents as Teachers program (PAT), birth through 5 years of age, including prenatal. Additional certification includes Teen Parents and Supporting Families of Children with Special Needs. The аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û²éѯD ParentSmart Program has established the Family Literacy Partnership initially funded by SC First Steps but now funded by the SC State Dept. of Education Adult Education and Family literacy Grant and аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û²éѯ. The Family Literacy Partnership utilizes the Even Start model working with parents on completion of their high school education (GED or High School Diploma), ESOL education, computer training and Career Services. This program is coordinated in conjunction with the district’s Adult Education Program. Parents participate with their preschool children in all four components of the Even Start Family Literacy model including Adult Education, Parent Education, Early Childhood Education and Interactive Literacy Activities joining parents and children together for joint learning opportunities at the center, in the community as well as in the family’s homes.

    The district works with Head Start by providing a building for the Rock Hill Chapter and transition day for those leaving Head Start to come to kindergarten in the public schools. The children visit the kindergarten they will be attending and school tours are conducted for parents and the students. The аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û²éѯD ParentSmart Partnership provides transition assistance for ESOL families with preschool children by providing translation services for the application process. Additionally at the beginning of the year, Open House meetings are scheduled for students and parents to visit and get acquainted. The аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û²éѯD also opens staff development opportunities for Head Start, other private schools, and day cares in the Rock Hill and neighboring areas.

    1. аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û²éѯ will conduct, with the engagement of parents and families, an annual evaluation of the content and the effectiveness of this parent and family involvement policy in improving the quality of Title I, Part A schools. This will be done through completion of a survey sent home annually at the end of the school year, and attention will be given to those of English Learners by translated versions and making parent educators available to help translate or read to and explain if needed. The district has bilingual services available for this purpose and is very active with the Title I community in providing such services as well as securing assistance when needed for families.

    The schools send out this data and results are returned to the District Office where data is analyzed. It is shared with parents and families at open parent meetings at the beginning of the school year, and parental and family feedback and/or suggestions for revisions are always solicited and are vital for the operation of the district’s Title I program.

    1. аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û²éѯ will take the following actions to involve parents and families in the process of school review and improvement under section 1116 of the ESEA by notifying parents and the community of the district’s and schools’ adequate yearly progress as it relates to accountability. These notifications will be shared through Schoolwide Planning Team and School Improvement Council meetings, sent via website postings and published in the newspapers and in the school newsletters and report cards. Schools provide meetings and offer conferences for all grade levels to explain test scores and share data. If the district should have schools in improvement status, this will be published as well by the same means, and a meeting will be held for further explanations and for soliciting input and recommendations from parents and families for improving. Parents and families will be notified by school newsletters of each school’s status, and messages will be sent to each child’s home via the district’s telephone service. In addition, parents and families are encouraged to become active participants in their child’s education through such efforts to include volunteering in school wide activities such as Family Literacy and Math Nights or similar morning workshops. For those parents or family members unable to attend nighttime events, parents or family members may consider assisting with Book Fairs, participating in mentoring programs, attending PTO meetings and events, attending SIC council meetings, attending Title I meetings and events, communicate with their child’s teacher on a regular basis via weekly folders, phone calls, e-mails, or conferences to discuss their child’s academic progress as needed, and participate in surveys which ask for feedback on how the school can best meet the needs of their child. Providing communication multiple ways to parents and families (digital, printed, and personal) is beneficial in improving communication.

    Posted September 2024