Just as we see ourselves as supportive partners to the school districts we serve, All-Stars see ourselves as partners with our students’ parents and families.  With that in mind, there is a very deliberate effort to engage family members at various times throughout the program year.  In addition to having an “open-door” policy with staff, and our annual efforts to solicit feedback from parents, opportunities for families to further engage in the program include:

  1.     Monthly Newsletters/Event Calendars – each school site produces its own newsletter and monthly program calendar, which are distributed to families, often in more than one language.  These are also available to view or download off the All-Stars website.

  2.     Parent Leadership Committees (PLC) – each school site has a PLC, which is comprised of parent volunteers, who work on projects as assigned by the program Site Supervisor and as their time/skills allow.  All-Stars encourages any adult family member with interest and time to volunteer to become an active, valuable part of their child’s after-school program.

  3.     Culminating events – at the end of each program cycle (generally six-to-eight weeks), parents and families are invited to the school to watch performances from each of that cycle’s enrichment classes.  Often times there are community meals served following the performances.

  4.     Sports Tournaments – at the end of each sports league, families are invited to watch the concluding tournament and share in the community bar-b-que served during competition.  (Families are also strongly encouraged to watch games throughout the league.)

  5.     Transition Program – all 8^th grade students enrolled in an All-Stars program will participate in the High School Transition program throughout the year.   Several of the sessions of this program are designed to include and engage parents, in order to empower them to be advocates for their child’s education once they enter high school.