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Philadelphia school leaders say they’re reinvesting in parent education to improve student outcomes and build trust between families and the district.
School officials on Wednesday announced the relaunch of the district’s Parent and Family University program — part of fulfilling a longstanding promise from Superintendent Tony Watlington to help parents and families engage with their children, schools, and communities.
That means parents will be able to access new resources, like online classes, physical and mental health information, and tools to support their children’s learning. In-person sessions will feature free babysitting and child care services, food, and other resources. The program will launch in eight schools on Oct. 14, with plans to expand.
The program shows “that we are wrapping our arms around our children and our families,” Watlington said at the launch event at Lewis C. Cassidy Academics Plus School Wednesday.
Watlington said a key pillar of the program is to provide families with support and resources to increase student attendance and joy in school — something advocates have long been pushing for. He said he hopes more outreach to parents and families helps build trust in the district.
“This is not just parent involvement,” said Watlington. “This is an equal partnership.”
The program also includes access to adult classes on financial literacy and money management, ways for families to connect with community service opportunities, and voting information. Watlington said some organizations, like Scholastic and Philadelphia Financial Scholars, have partnered with the district to deliver these services.
But the courses and resources are “not just about sharing information,” Board of Education President Reginald Streater said at the launch event, “it’s about building trust.”
The district first introduced Parent and Family University in 2009 under then-Superintendent Arlene Ackerman. By 2010, the program had more than 12,000 participants.
At the time, parents took classes in person, and attended a graduation ceremony at the end. The theory was that investing in parents would mean better outcomes and experiences for students.
But under new district leadership, the program slowly wound down, and by 2015 it had ended.
After Watlington became superintendent in 2022, he pledged to relaunch the Parent and Family University as part of the district’s new strategic plan.
School officials conducted a parent and guardian survey earlier this year about potential offerings. The survey showed that parents were interested in information about school-specific topics like school selection, report cards, and college and career readiness. Some also said they were interested in topics like mental health, nutrition, and digital literacy.
The survey results showed that few parents said they would be likely to attend in-person sessions, while more than half said they would attend virtual sessions.
“Your feedback mattered,” Streater said. “We are here to deliver.”
However, the survey respondents did not reflect the demographics of the school system. Of the roughly 1,750 respondents, white families, those earning more than $100,000 and those who live in South Philadelphia were overrepresented. The majority of students in the district are students of color.
Michelle Gainer, a parent of a student at Eleanor C. Emlen Elementary, said she plans to take advantage of some of the new programming. She said she thinks parents like her could benefit from more help accessing resources about housing, utilities, financial literacy, and mental health.
“I’m just looking here at some of the resources, and like, these are all great,” said Gainer. “I wish I would have had that when I was younger.”
Gainer said she hopes programming is available in person and in different communities across the city: “I think that’s the best way to really connect with parents and families.”
As kids danced to music and snacked on cookies at Wednesday’s event, parents milled around picking up resources about Parent and Family University.
Doretha Crooks, whose son is in fifth grade at Cassidy, said it would be useful to be able to listen along to sessions while she’s cooking dinner or finishing another task.
Crooks said she’s glad more resources will be available for parents. Her son recently switched from virtual school to return to a brick-and-mortar school, and she said she looks forward to more opportunities to learn about curriculum and support her son’s education.
“Everything is changing,” said Crooks, referring to new technology students use to learn and new research on what works best. “Parents need to be reeducated.”
Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.
Rebecca Redelmeier is a reporter at Chalkbeat Philadelphia. She writes about public schools, early childhood education, and issues that impact students, families, and educators across Philadelphia. Contact Rebecca at rredelmeier@chalkbeat.org.
