Participating in activities such as educational workshops on bullying prevention or safe schools committee meetings, requires extra effort and energy on the part of parents and caregivers who are already stretched. When attendance is simplified by practical arrangements, more parents and caregivers are likely to attend. Food is a reliable draw, providing an icebreaker, an opportunity to socialize and a welcome break from cooking.
Community consultation and involvement can help to identify concrete strategies to attract parents and caregivers and facilitate their participation.
In order to facilitate parents’ and caregivers’ participation in school activities, schools can:
- organize activities at different times of the day or night;
- schedule evening activities after work and offer a meal;
- schedule early morning activities before work and serve muffins;
- provide child care;
- organize a parallel activity for students.
A high school opens up the gym to supervised activities for the students during parent-teacher interviews. Parents and caregivers can meet with teachers while students participate in activities.