Sometimes it’s not just the kids learning new things. At the City Schools of Decatur, parents are also included on the education curve through a series of workshops and programs offered through a parents council that’s had a soft pre-COVID launch.
Anna Kanze Hamilton was one of the council volunteers in late 2019, before activities were sidelined for most of the last two years.
“We started off with 10 parents, a few from each school,” she said. “This is the first year that we got into virtual groups. We’ve been setting the foundation for what we want to do and getting an understanding of what we can accomplish.”
The focus has been on building awareness around programs and letting parents know how they can advocate for their students.
“We’ve been working hard to put together agendas and to support each other and parents who have even less time than we do,” said Hamilton. “It’s important to let them know there are groups they can join and get support, and we’re collaborating with them rather than competing for time.”
To that end, the council has generated a number of ideas, particularly around services and accommodations for special needs students. But not all are directly related to the classroom or kids. A Finance 101 seminar offered virtually twice this spring focused just on money issues.
“That was one of the items that came from our needs assessment,” said Willie Washington, the school system’s ESOL and federal programs director. “Parents wanted more information about managing finances and becoming more financially stable and literate. We partnered with Truist to offer workshops around checking and savings basics, and saving for emergencies. Our goal is to repeat them in the fall and then broaden the scope of topics into things such as credit repair and purchasing a home.”
Washington said the majority of programs for the fall will center around effectively communicating with the school; homework help, especially as it’s related to math and reading; and reading report cards and state reports.
“But we’ve also organized and donated hygiene kits to different schools so they had them when they see a student with needs,” she said. “We also organized a coat drive over the winter that had a great response. And all of these ideas grew organically from our parents.”
With the start of a new school year only weeks away, the council is planning a back-to-school bash in late July with free school supplies, physicals and haircuts. As with all events, Washington said the goal is the same: improving student achievement.
“And that’s not just related to academics; it’s social and emotional wellbeing as well,” she said. “We know parents have a large impact on student success. As we increase their efficacy to advocate for their children, it assists with improving achievement overall.”
Information about City Schools of Decatur is online at csdecatur.net.
SEND US YOUR STORIES. Each week we look at programs, projects and successful endeavors at area schools, from pre-K to grad school. To suggest a story, contact H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or 770-744-3042.
