“It takes a village to raise a child,” is a saying that conveys the idea that community support and involvement are required in the healthy development and upbringing of a child. This is an idea our community should explore in a way that supports children’s education by helping families overcome everyday challenges that make it difficult for children to excel in education. Pekin Altrusa recently received a $500 grant from Pekin Kiwanis to support the idea of a Parent University. Huge thanks to Pekin Kiwanis for the support and financial help it gives to Pekin consistently throughout the year.

A Parent University is a program designed to support parents and caregivers in their role as partners in their children’s education and well-being. If you were to research reasons for children not excelling in school or reading at their grade level, you’ll find several topics of discussion, such as poverty, absenteeism, lack of motivation, learning disabilities, and environmental factors, as examples, but the list goes on and on. There are many versions of Parent Universities, ranging from those offered by community organizations to those offered by school districts. However, the goals are similar, which aim to support the needs of families for educational success.

Key goals of Parent Universities aim to empower parents, strengthen home-school partnerships, increase parental involvement, enhance parenting skills, connect families with resources, and promote lifelong learning. Empowering parents could involve offering different means of communication and opportunities for involvement. Strengthening home-school partnerships involves bridging the gap between schools and families to support more collaboration between the two entities. Increasing parental involvement encourages parents to become just as involved or more involved in their kids’ education as the teacher. Providing opportunities for parents to enhance parenting skills could connect parents with tools and resources that help deal with certain situations they may not be accustomed to. Connecting families with community resources could bridge the gap between the desire to overcome challenges and to organizations that exist to help families overcome those same challenges. 

Our first Parent University doesn’t have to be a big, extravagant event, but we must get started. It could be as simple as round table discussions or as big as workshops, speakers, team building exercises, and forums. There are many families that need the support and information. We hope to start sooner rather than later and welcome any organizations that usually have back-to-school events or programs to collaborate in making this happen. School will be in session soon, and another great year of challenges and opportunities will present themselves. However, school doesn’t look the same for everyone, and everyone’s challenges vary in scope. We’ll keep you posted on the progress. In the meantime, you can support programs offered by Pekin Altrusa by sending checks to PO Box 3, Pekin, IL 61554.