Family Involvement in Elementary Schools
Children who are supported by their families during their early school years can benefit more due to their strengthened support of their parent or guardian. Having good parenting skills, strong home and school relationships, and parents being an at home teacher or supporter can lead to children being more motivated to work.
Parenting is the family involvement process that includes the attitudes, values, and practices of parents in raising young children. Nurturing, warm, and responsive parent–child relationships and parental participation in child-centered activities relate to positive learning outcomes in early childhood. Nurturing relationships provide an emotional refuge for children, fostering the development of a healthy sense of belonging, self-esteem, and well-being. When parents are sensitive and responsive to children’s emotions, children are more likely to become socially competent and show better communication skills. Warm, reciprocal parent–child interactions and fewer life stresses in the home facilitate children’s prosocial behavior and ability to concentrate.6 Parent participation in child-centered activities, specifically play, is also important for children’s social and emotional development. Children who play at home and whose parents understand the importance of play in development are likely to demonstrate prosocial and independent behavior in the classroom. In addition, parent participation with their children in activities such as arts and crafts is associated with children’s literacy development. However, parenting is embedded in social and cultural contexts that influence parenting styles. Poverty is related to access to fewer social parenting supports, which in turn is associated with maternal depression and less nurturing parenting behavior. Moreover, parent–child activities are culturally influenced such that activities that are characteristic of one ethnic group might not be...