6.4 Engaging Caregivers

Caregiver engagement in a student’s academic journey can be enhanced by providing caregivers with relevant information, clear communication channels, and specific strategies to be involved with the student’s tutoring opportunities. Caregiver involvement can significantly enhance the students educational experience by supporting student motivation, improving attendance, and building a deeper culture of learning support. Section 6.4 addresses developing caregiver contact plans and creating responsive communication approaches tailored to family needs.

Before You Begin
Caregiver Contact Plan
Key RecommendationsCorresponding Resources
  • Work with partnering schools to establish or encourage a caregiver communication plan and correlate the frequency of communication to the frequency of tutoring. For example, weekly communication may be appropriate if tutoring happens five times a week.

Template: Communication Plan for Stakeholder Engagement around a High-Impact Tutoring Program (Word Document Available)

Reading: Tutor/Program-Family Communication: Continual Updates

Website: PLUS-Engaging Caregivers and Families

  • Share your communication plan with families/caregivers.
  • Create a routine for those responsible for the communication.
Responsiveness to Caregivers’ Needs
Key RecommendationsCorresponding Resources
  • Communicate opportunities and benefits of caregiver involvement clearly through concise updates on academics and engagement, as well as home support strategies. 

Reading: Engagement Examples

Templates: Family & Caregiver Toolkit for School Districts Communications Templates

Toolkit: Share high-impact tutoring opportunities with families 

  • Ensure accessibility by using caregivers' preferred communication methods and providing translation services for all written materials. Offer interpretation during meetings, calls, celebrations, and events.
  • Encourage feedback from families and caregivers, and provide contact information for questions or concerns.
  • Provide academic and engagement updates and home support strategies.
Reading: Align high-impact tutoring to students’ academic progress

Planning for the Long Term
  • Establish an ongoing communication plan, including roles and responsibilities, to ensure communication continues throughout the program.
Tutoring Quality Standards and Self-Assessment Indicators

Take the free, 15-minute, and research-based Tutoring Organization Self-Assessment. This subsection addresses these tutoring quality standards and Self-Assessment indicators.

Learning Integration
Caregiver Engagement		The program ensures regular engagement with caregivers and updates on student progress.
4e.1 | System for communicating individual academic and non-academic progress to caregivers (directly or in collaboration with school officials)
4e.2 | System for providing caregivers with information about the tutoring program, goals and objectives pre-implementation (directly or in collaboration with school officials)
4e.3 | Communication systems that are responsive to the backgrounds, diverse needs and linguistic needs of the caregivers served