Just getting to the first day of school feels like an accomplishment — and it is! — but decades of research show when parents are involved in their child’s education year-round, their kids learn and feel better.

“Don't drop your kids off at school and think what's happening inside the school is what's actually happening inside the school,” says Kelly Bedford, a parent of four children who have gone through LAUSD schools. “You better get in there and you better find out what's going on so that you can then fill those gaps that are missing.”

Studies have found parent engagement is tied to improved reading skills, student mental health, and higher high school graduation rates.

There are many ways to show up for your child and navigate their educational journey as a team.

These tips are all from parents and educators with ties to Los Angeles Unified, but you may find similar resources in your school district. We’ve ordered these suggestions by increasing effort levels.

First: You are busy! And that's OK!

Every parent LAist talked to emphasized that between work and caregiving, it’s hard to find time to attend meetings, fundraise, or volunteer at your local school.

“What I would advise a parent is to not feel guilty at all for not meeting or conforming to the district's model of parent engagement,” Bedford says. “But I do think that parents should be engaged with their child's education in a way that is best for them and their family.”

Introduce your child

Write a parent introduction to a teacher

At the beginning of every school year, Bedford typically sends an email to her son’s teachers introducing herself and her expectations for her kids.

“I let them know that we are a team,” Bedford says.

Write a student introduction to a teacher

You can also work with your child to write a letter from them to their teacher, outlining things like:

• What they’re looking forward to
• What they need extra help with
• What they want their new teacher to know

Here’s an example of what that note can look like— you can also add personal details about your child’s goals and tips for how they learn best.

“Once teachers realize that you are an advocate, sometimes they're pleasantly surprised,” Bedford says.

Get in-person help

Many school districts have family resource centers. These are dedicated spaces for parents and caregivers to participate in workshops about their child’s education, digital tools, financial literacy, career development, and communicating with their students.

Build a resource library

When Bedford realized her first child needed more support, she started collecting pamphlets and information from every nonprofit and potentially helpful agency she could find.

“Sometimes you have to look for resources outside of the district in order to determine what is best for your child,” Bedford says.

Here are some organizations our parent advisors recommended:

• Families In Schools: An educational advocacy organization that provides resources for parents around preparing for college, supporting their child’s mental health, and literacy. 
• Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE): A nonprofit that offers classes that cover topics like communication, school resources, and the steps to graduation and college. 
• Parents Supporting Teachers: This Facebook group started in the months leading up to the 2019 teachers strike as a way for parents to share information. Now nearly 30,000 members share news, answer questions, and advocate for accountability.
• TASK: A nonprofit that provides information, training and resources for families of children and youth with disabilities. 

Keep track of your engagement

Sometimes your child has specific learning needs beyond what a school might expect to offer and a parent or caretaker has to make their case to school district employees. A common example of this is students with disabilities, who have the legal right to an education that best fits their needs.

L.A. parent Lisa Mosko Barros is an advocate, the mom of two “wildly creative and wonderful kids” who are neurodiverse, and founder of nonprofit SpEducational.

She suggests you:

• write down when and how you’re communicating with your child’s school in a specific notebook or document; and
• save emails, texts, and other electronic communication.

That way, you can remember to follow up and prove that you’ve made a concerted effort to request that the school meet your child’s needs.

“You're creating a paper trail,” Mosko Barros says. "Hopefully you won't need a paper trail, but you have it if you need it."

Learn the chain of command

Every person working in a school, from the custodians to the front office staff, plays a role in a child’s education.

“There's a chain of command and you have to work your way all the way up,” says San Fernando Valley mom Roxann Nazario.

She says the first person to talk to about your child’s education is their teacher, but if you don’t feel like your question or problem is being addressed, reach out to the principal and other school staff.

If that still doesn’t work, there are other levels of power and accountability in a district. Here’s how it works in LAUSD:

Region leadership: LAUSD is broken into four regions— North, South, East, and West— each with its own superintendent. Find your region here and the contact information for who’s in charge here.

School board: Voters elect seven people to make policy and determine how to use district resources. They also choose the district's top superintendent. Their offices can also help spur action at the school level.

Every regular school board meeting includes an opportunity for parents, or any member of the public, to say something to the board and audience. Registration for public comment opens 24 hours before the meeting. Speakers can weigh in by phone or in person and are generally limited to two minutes.

What if my child goes to a charter school?

In many cases, charters have boards separate from the district.

Affiliated charter schools are those operated by the district; in LAUSD, the board’s decisions influence their operations in a similar way to a traditional public school.

Independent charter schools are run by a separate, nonprofit organization. And day-to-day operations are overseen by a separate board, often appointed by the school’s founders or nonprofit leaders.

They might decide on everything from curriculum to hiring and student discipline.

Find out who is on the board, when they meet and how to contact them on your school’s website or by asking your child’s teacher.

Unite with other parents and educators

“The more you can network with other parents, the more you're going to learn,” Nazario says.

• Check to see if your school has a parent-teacher association or a booster club.
• You may also meet other parents through a neighborhood council, which are official city groups that support L.A.'s large number of enclaves. Many have a representative focused on education. Here's how to find yours.

While fundraising is often a primary focus for school-based groups, they can be more inclusive, says former Atwater Village PTA president Lori Rosales.

“People can give money, they can give supplies, or they can give time,” Rosales says. “If we thought through those lenses, that is going to ensure that everybody can participate in some way.”

For example, when the PTA spearheaded a school painting project, local businesses donated money and families chipped in supplies and time on the weekends.

You may also find that you get a lot of tips from other members of those networks. Still, do your own research.

“Because sometimes even the most well intentioned advice might be incorrect,” Mosko Barros says.

Volunteer (or be otherwise helpful!)

Volunteers can help out throughout the school from the front office to the cafeteria, playground, in the classroom and on field trips. There are also opportunities to pitch in virtually.

More than 36,000 volunteers supported LAUSD students last school year, according to Antonio Plascencia Jr., who leads family and community engagement efforts at LAUSD. Prospective volunteers have to:

• fill out an online application
• provide a health screening
• you may also be required to pass a background check

‘Boss up’

Los Angeles schools convene parents and other stakeholders in a variety of different committees, councils and working groups to get feedback and help shape plans for:

• school safety
• English-language learners
• meeting the needs of students with disabilities; and 
• how to spend money

One example is called a School Site Council. This group of parents, community members, staff, and students creates a plan for academics.

“You're able to learn, but also give very direct recommendations and approve those recommendations with your elected peers,” Plascencia says.

The council is required by California law at schools that receive certain types of federal and state funding.

Sometimes important organizations have boring names — Bedford would suggest a catchier moniker. “Maybe 'bossing up,'” Bedford says. "Meaning that you are in charge, you are making decisions, you are in a leadership position.”

About this series

School Game Plan helps L.A. families navigate their child’s education, from choosing a school to making change once they’re enrolled. Help us keep this project fresh and helpful:

Top illustration by Olivia Hughes/LAist.