Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy

Revised July 2018 TITLE I PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT POLICY The faculty, staff and administration at Healthy Start Academy is committed to working to support the education of each child. Each of the Academy’s educators commits to reaching out to parents with the understanding that they share the responsibility of teaching the students with their parents and families. At Healthy Start Academy we commit to building strong relationships with the families of our students to increase academic achievement of all students. The goal of this parent and family engagement policy is to support in a more consistent and effective manner the building of relationships to support every child. At Healthy Start Academy, we provide opportunities that will improve the quality of life for the students, their families, and the community. We intend to build an environment of academic productivity through meaningful communication, strong academic expectations and delivery of learning activities that promote the thirst for learning, respect for all people and instill student pride in, and ownership of a positive learning community. At Healthy Start Academy, the partnership between school and home will be supported by:  Convening an annual meeting in the school to provide information to parents, family members, and community members about the school and available programs and maintaining on file at the school, at a minimum, a copy of the agenda from the meeting highlighting that Title I programming was discussed; documentation of parent feedback and/or evaluation in the form of sign-in sheets and minutes from the presentation/meetings; if relevant, a copy of any presentation; and flyers, website announcements, message recordings and/or other advertisement for the meeting;  Notifying parents of and clearly posting on the school’s website the NC School Report Card Data;  Providing public engagement, awareness and encouragement through parent meetings, written communications and newsletters along with website postings will set the stage for parents and the community to have opportunities to help the academy make decisions about school wide operations;  Conducting its annual Title I Open House in September to discuss school programs, academic requirements and parent involvement with parents and families as well as interested community members;  Scheduling parent engagement meetings periodically during the school year to communicate with parents, obtain parent feedback through surveys and/or evaluations. During those meetings, teachers and administrators will distribute information regarding instructional and schoolwide programming;  Providing learning and enrichment opportunities that help parents acquire knowledge of the NC School Report Card Data; offering a flexible number of meetings, workshops and parent conferences that assist parents, family members, and community members in improving the achievement of all children;  Providing opportunities for all parents, family members, and community members to participate in school activities, including persons with disabilities and limited English proficiency.  Involving parents, family members, and community members to participate in an organized, ongoing, and timely way in consultation for the improvement of the Academy and its’ programs, Revised July 2018 specifically including these critical stakeholders in the planning, review, and evaluation of programs and improve programs based on the results;  Communicating clearly and frequently with parents, family members and community members about school policies, programs and their own children in a language they can understand;  Assisting parents, family members and community members in understanding state academic content, the North Carolina Accountability Program, state and local assessments, and student performance standards;  Providing parents with the opportunities to help the school make decisions about the education and professional development for teachers and staff directed at increasing student achievement.  Informing the Academy’s Board of Directors of events and activities planned to increase parent and family engagement. The board will invite a parent to participate as a member of the Board of Directors;  Increasing community engagement and awareness by participating in local events such as the, North Carolina Central University Homecoming Parade and the Annual Durham Martin Luther King Parade. By participating in these events, we will inform the community of our presence, invite tutors and volunteers to work with our students seek opportunities to develop partnerships with agencies and institutions that can support our instructional programs.  The Academy will work with the Department of Social Services, Department of Health and Human Resources, counseling services, Durham Public Schools and other agencies to support our students as they progress through school.  Having all parties involved sign a Principal/Teacher/Parent/Student Compact stating how each will contribute to ensuring the student’s achievement. By increasing the engagement of our parents and families, as well as community entities, the students at Healthy Start Academy, known as “Scholars,” will grow to be productive, responsible citizens in our community and be prepared to attend college-prep public and private high schools.