Family engagement is highly instrumental for student success. Actively involved families are better able to support learning, communicate with school staff, and respond to their student's needs. However, not all families have the same opportunities to participate. Many families face barriers such as language differences, work schedules, and challenges related to transportation, finance, and childcare.
Meaningful family engagement means recognizing that families and educators are equal partners. Every family's culture, experiences, and strengths enable them to contribute to their dream of wanting the best for their children. By using accessible, inclusive, and responsive communication, schools can help all families feel respected, valued, and empowered to support their children.
Building Bridges: A Framework for Family Engagement in Maine
The Maine Department of Education (Maine DOE) is dedicated to promoting the best learning opportunities for all Maine students. The Maine DOE embraces its role as a partner in this work of disseminating family engagement practices, recognizing that family engagement is a keystone skill of a whole child approach to education.
Building Bridges: A Framework for Family Engagement in Maine grew out of the need to create a comprehensive foundation to engage families in the education field in Maine. This initiative was led by the Consortium for Engaging Families Across Maine (CEFAM), which operates the Maine Statewide Family Engagement Center. CEFAM is a project of MAEC, Inc. (MAEC).
The framework represents a collaborative effort from key partners and leaders across Maine. We extend special thanks to the Maine CDC, Division of Disease Prevention, Maternal and Child Health; the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE); Maine Parent Federation; the Maine Department of Education, Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education; and a 15-person advisory committee of parents, educators, and community members from across Maine. We are grateful for the deep knowledge, years of experience, and passion that each of these groups brought to the project.
- Nine steps to develop an effective family engagement strategy.
- Guiding principles of family engagement and key strategies to develop family leaders.
- Resources to support families of multilingual learners and students with special needs.
Building Bridges: A Framework for Family Engagement in Maine
Resources & Tools
You may find this resource in the Race and National Origin Discrimination section of the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Reading Room, in English, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, with additional translations expected later this month.
"At Unite for Literacy, we picture a world where all children have access to an abundance of books that celebrate their languages and cultures and cultivate a lifelong love of reading.
Unite for Literacy has developed the platform, publishing tools, and systems-based strategies that support our public and private sector partners to change the literacy landscape of their communities and optimize the future for all their young children. Our projects build home libraries and support families to develop a daily habit of reading, both of which are key factors in growing lifelong readers."
Contact
Family Engagement & Cultural Responsiveness Specialist
Email: DOESchoolandStudentSupports@maine.gov