Program Profile: The Family Schools, Inc. in Brewster, Massachusetts

NAEYC’s Engaging Diverse Families Project

The Family Schools, Inc. has deep roots in its rural Cape Cod community.

Program Overview
Since 1980, The Family Schools has been pursuing its mission to support “those who seek to raise stable and loving children in a chaotic world.” Marcia Pioppi Galazzi, cofounder and owner/president/executive director, says the mission statement “clarifies almost everything that we question or dream or desire. When I talk to families whose adult children grew up with us, I often hear them say that The Family School years were among the most important in [their] family’s life.”

Galazzi and cofounders Carolyn O’Leary and Kim Lockwood define families as “those who are committed to a child over their lifetime. They may or may not share the same roof or country. Family members may be of any gender or age or role.” The leaders are open minded and accepting of all children and families. Galazzi explains, “Families are wonderfully diverse these days, and they need all the love, recognition, and support they can get. Our school does everything possible to endorse and support families and as little as possible to divide and criticize. We listen carefully to children and families and make no assumptions about with whom a child lives, who they love, and who loves them. Children are really pretty clear about this. We try to keep up!”

Family Engagement Program Practices

Family Participation in Decision Making
At The Family Schools, families act as advocates for their children and participate in decision making when they complete an individual education plan for their child. This written plan documents parents’ goals for their child’s learning and what they would like to see their child accomplish. The plans are updated when goals are met and when observational benchmarks are noted in the January and June observation reports. Parents and teachers collaborate on the observation reports to make comments and notes. At any time, families or teachers may request further conversation and help in making a referral plan as necessary.

Reciprocal Relationships
Reciprocal relationships are vital to the program’s operation:

• The lead teachers conduct a home visit every year.
• Notes and often photos are shared each day.
• Families come to share their skills and interests, such as religious and cultural celebrations, cooking, gardening, dental work, and animal care.
• Families participate in fundraising for school materials.
• Families contribute to potlucks and to teacher meetings.

Learning Activities at Home and in the Community
The Family Schools is engaged with its community, and the connections are evident throughout the school.

• Children who attend as infants and for preschool progress to the school-age classrooms and a summer day camp. They then often work as camp counselors through college and finally become parents who bring their own children to the school.
• The program is adjacent to a state park that the children use and appreciate every day. Children who are old enough start their day with a mile-long walk/run hike.
• The program’s 14-passenger activity bus allows classes to visit families at work in the community, and other locations related to current curriculum.
• Community volunteers are part of the fabric of The Family Schools. Octogenarians rock babies and play with preschoolers, a retired coach teaches soccer to 5-year-olds, and volunteers of “undetermined age” teach children to make pinch pots and speak Spanish. The program’s longtime volunteer handyman conceived of and constructed a Plexiglas® screen for a child with severe food allergies. The screen allowed the child to eat lunch with his peers—something he previously could not do.
• Community engagement is reciprocal. Staff members receive up to five professional days per year, and are encouraged to use those days in community involvement.

A Comprehensive Program-Level System
The Family Schools’ comprehensive approach provides a foundation for all of its work. The program maintains a system for documenting communication with families to track their own effectiveness at outreach—and to catch families that may be falling through the cracks. The program’s “Orange Book” (a three-ring binder) helps staff monitor opportunities for communication (for example, during yearly home visits, family meetings, school events, and so on) and families’ responses to those opportunities (How did Noah’s home visit go? Do we need to reach out to his family? As a program, do we provide enough opportunities for families?).

Galazzi says, “Faculty are trained and highly skilled at remaining alert to all the cues around a family and their children. These efforts result in successful family support. Evidence of the commitment to do this careful work is clear in the meaningful communication throughout the school and among all the participants. For example, one Mom shared with us that her  ‘son would not have survived his birth defects were it not for the sharp observations of his teachers.’ We are grateful for this powerful work of doing, together, whatever it takes to support families. The sounds of laughter abound!”

The Family Schools’ faculty is well-supported and teacher tenure at the school averages eleven years. Staff members receive mentoring and supervision and are encouraged to make and keep plans for balancing their own health and well-being. Health program benefits may include contribution to gym membership, support of spiritual practices, paid vacation time, and responsive, immediate family leave time.

Developed for NAEYC's Engaging Diverse Families Project through a generous grant from the Picower Foundation.
© National Association for the Education of Young Children.