Communicating with bilingual parents is the key to establishing a successful partnership, and one of the best ways is to kick the school year off right with innovative back-to-school strategies that reach out to ELL parents. Let’s take a look at some of the most effective ones.
According to OSTRC, an organization serving children, building a relationship with ELL families right from the get-go is the key to yielding big dividends throughout the year.  The organization suggests, for instance, having a number of programs and events in place when the school year begins. Some especially good ones include:

• establishing an ambassador program in which students and parents give school tours.
• holding a back-to-school picnic for families to meet school leaders, teachers and staff.
• connecting new families with a contact person who speaks their language.
• distributing a multiple language, welcome DVD on opening day.

 With the ultimate goal of helping kids perform better at school, the article Parental Involvement: Strategies to Reach and Involve Multicultural Families believes it’s also important for ELL parents to establish a good home learning environment. ASCD, a teaching organization, thinks that one reason some ELL students fall behind is because the subject matter is not being taught in their native language. As such, OSTRC says it’s critical that teachers are trained in supporting both languages of students. Evidence suggests that the best back-to-school strategies that reach out to ELL parents are not only ones that take the school environment into consideration but home as well.

A terrific way for parents to create a studious home environment is by establishing a reading routine with their kids in their home language. Not only does this support their native tongue, but it also helps ELL students with their English, too. ACSD says that it’s a good idea for schools to support this by offering training for teachers. Many schools and districts, in fact, recommend The Latino Literacy Project. It’s a terrific program that helps families establish regular reading routines at home. Teachers can attend a FREE online webinar with the purchase of their program materials, or a half-day program training at a workshop near them. Contact our office for program offerings.