School Family Community Partnership (SFCP) Program Ideas

Individual schools develop custom programs within the six types of involvement to help achieve their specific school improvement goals and provide opportunities for parents and community members to become active partners in the education of their children at each grade level. Listed below are a few program examples from six of our schools. Click on each "Type of Involvement" below for a listing of District 203 programs (PDF format).

The following forms are also available:

SFCP Program Planning Guide (PDF)
SFCP Template for District Knowledge Bank (PDF)

Type 1 - Parenting

Maplebrook Elementary School - Parenting Seminars with coreinc. counseling

Goal of Activity - To provide Maplebrook families with the necessary resources to enhance their parenting skills that will ultimately maximize children's learning and social growth.

Description of Activity - Maplebrook conducted monthly Parenting Seminars with coreinc. counseling to first access the needs of parents and families and then to address topics of mutual interest and concern.

Type 2 - Communication

Washington Junior High School - Sixth Grade Family Picnic

Goal of Activity - To ease the transition to middle school for incoming 6th graders and their families by hosting a fun activity early in the school year.

Description of Activity - WJHS hosted an informal picnic for all 6th grade students and their families as a way to informally meet all the teachers and staff.  Initially, teachers planned/worked the picnic, but parents now assume that responsibility to allow teachers to mingle with all the families.

Type 3 - Volunteering

Meadow Glens Elementary - International Night

Goal of Activity - To celebrate the rich, diverse cultures that make up the Meadow Glens community; to offer an opportunity for Meadow Glens parents to participate in a fun and enriching activity together with their children; to increase parental involvement.

Description of Activity - Our International Night is a multi-cultural event that involves parent volunteers as hosts to 28 different countries and regions of the world. Our families gain “entry” to the foreign lands by passing through “customs and immigration” inside the door to our school. After picking up a passport, the families enter the gym and multipurpose rooms and are met with a vast array of sights, sounds and samples from around the world. The children enjoy receiving stamps on their passports as they travel from country to country.

Type 4 - Learning at Home

Scott Elementary - Study Skills Night

Goal of Activity - To help students develop study skills in the 4th and 5th grades. To enable parents to identify ways that they can help their children develop good study skills.

Description of Activity - Four teachers addressed different areas of studying and study habits. Each teacher used a variety of overheads, practice exercises, handouts and discussion. Methods that can be helpful in studying were demonstrated.

Type 5 - Decision Making

Highlands Elementary - Parent Survey

Goal of Activity - Improve communication between the parents and school and make decisions based on that input and communication.

Description of Activity - A school-wide survey was distributed to families, asking key questions on specific Highlands' programs and overall school performance.  The results were compiled, summarized, and compared using District 203 and Highlands school benchmarks.  Survey results were shared with specific committees plus the Building Leadership Team and became the basis for future school decision making.

Type 6 - Collaborating

Naperville North High School - Family Connection

Goal of Activity - Family Connection is a volunteer group of Naperville North families, working together with the NNHS Health and Guidance staff and the business community, to lend a helping hand to Naperville North families experiencing difficult times.

Description of Activity - Family Connection provides a range of services to meet the diverse needs of our Naperville North High School community including:  meals and clothing, transportation, personal and school supplies, mentoring families, and financial aid. Family Connection also links families in need to the appropriate community resources.