Adopted May 1987 – Revised November 2013 – Reviewed and deemed relevant May 2020 – Family Engagement Commission
Research shows that parenting – the process of rearing a child – requires skills and an appreciation of child development from infancy to adulthood. Understanding how to support the social, emotional, physical and intellectual growth of children positively impacts their lives and promotes student success.
When families, schools and communities work together to develop, support and offer parent education programs and skills development for parents and caregivers, children can thrive.
California State PTA believes that:
- Parenting is a challenging task for which there is often little preparation
- Comprehensive and accessible parenting education programs equip parents with more information, strategies and tools to support a child’s growth and development
- Training for adults should be offered through parent education programs and other resources in the community
- Parenting lessons should be a component of life-skills courses in middle and high school
Parenting education should include information, skills development and training on:
- Physical, intellectual, social and emotional aspects of child development and how to support a child’s growth from birth through adolescence to adulthood
- How to recognize, diagnose and treat special needs, including physical and learning disabilities, and how to collaboratively support special needs children
- Life skills including goal setting, decision-making and choices, responsibility, assertiveness and cooperation
- Roles and responsibilities necessary for a well-functioning family
- Strategies for effective communication within the family as well as with teachers and others involved in a child’s development
- Parents’ rights and responsibilities in their role as advocates for children in schools and in the community
- The California educational system, family-school partnerships and the benefits of family engagement to support student success
PTA has a responsibility to:
- Develop, support and offer parenting education programs and other parenting resources and tools to its members and the community at large
- Help educators understand and appreciate the value of parenting education
- Encourage schools to provide parenting skills education for students
- Promote family engagement and develop parent leaders to promote student success
- Support teacher training programs in parenting skills education
- Collaborate with other state and local parenting programs to make parenting resources readily available and accessible to the maximum number of families
Schools have a responsibility to:
- Implement research-based best practices in the area of family engagement
- Share information with parents on important topics such as programs, classroom practices, parental rights and responsibilities, mandated state testing, and school rules
- Engage parents as partners in the learning process through regular communication about their students’ performance, academic growth, assignments, expectations, and any areas of concern
- Provide workshops and programs that help parents build parenting skills and participate as advocates in the learning process
