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Evidence-Based Strategies for Supporting and Enhancing Family Engagement

By P. Little, published in 2013 in The Expanded Learning and Afterschool Project.

Family engagement should be a vital component of any strategy to expand learning opportunities for children and youth afterschool and during the summertime-whether at the organizational, community, state or national level. Under current federal guidelines for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative, ‘family engagement’ takes the form of activities to support parental involvement and family literacy. All centers are required to track and report the number of family members who participate as part of the annual Profile and Performance Information Collection System (PPICS). Consistently those data indicate that the majority of centers do, indeed, provide these important activities for families. Despite impressive numbers of families served, however, many 21st Century Community Learning Centers and other afterschool and summer programs struggle with more fully engaging families. This article presents six research-derived strategies that afterschool programs can and do use to engage families. A set of additional resources for educators and program managers is also included, along with examples drawn from several programs that have experienced noteworthy success in engaging families.

Evidence-Based Strategies for Supporting and Enhancing Family Engagement

By P. Little, published in 2013 in The Expanded Learning and Afterschool Project.

Family engagement should be a vital component of any strategy to expand learning opportunities for children and youth afterschool and during the summertime-whether at the organizational, community, state or national level. Under current federal guidelines for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative, ‘family engagement’ takes the form of activities to support parental involvement and family literacy. All centers are required to track and report the number of family members who participate as part of the annual Profile and Performance Information Collection System (PPICS). Consistently those data indicate that the majority of centers do, indeed, provide these important activities for families. Despite impressive numbers of families served, however, many 21st Century Community Learning Centers and other afterschool and summer programs struggle with more fully engaging families. This article presents six research-derived strategies that afterschool programs can and do use to engage families. A set of additional resources for educators and program managers is also included, along with examples drawn from several programs that have experienced noteworthy success in engaging families.

Evidence-Based Strategies for Supporting and Enhancing Family Engagement

July 29, 2025 • YouthREX

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