DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT - DLOPI

A ROAD MAP FOR PARENT LIAISONS WORKING WITH
PARENT RESOURCE CENTERS (PRC)

Article Submitted By:  Audrey Lewis-Potter

Imagine if every parent liaison had a roadmap designed with the most appropriate activities and strategies to teach parents the skills needed on their journey to improve parent participation. Further, envision that these skills along this path would help ensure that parents reach their destination as active participants in making the best and appropriate school choice options and programs for their children.

THE MISSING LINK
Creating and customizing a roadmap is the missing link that educators, facilitators and parent liaisons have been searching for to assist parents. The Different Levels of Parent Involvement (DLOPI – pronounced de-low-pee) is a parent program with five modules designed to encourage parents to become involved in their child’s education, whether at school or at home. This training will assist Parent Liaisons with the tools to empower parents to make the BEST Choices for their children.

TRAININGS
To make this happen effectively and successfully for selecting School Choice Options, the Different Levels of Parent Involvement (DLOPI) program is gearing up to provide several trainings to all Parent Liaisons involved with the Parent Information Resource Centers (PRC) across the State of Florida beginning as early as June.

Parent liaisons will be given two days of extensive training and additional training throughout the year, which will include creating parent tool kits, parenting skits, CD’s, data collection and assessment strategies, instructional strategies for parents, sharing resources, recruitment and training. These two days of training are followed by more days of on-site implementation and unlimited technical assistance during the school year.

The significant role of the parent liaison with this training will also assist with the development of the parent advisory committees’ implementation, ongoing monitoring, and school choice requests and inquiries made by parents, and the growth of parents’ participation from one level of DLOPI to the next. This will, without a doubt, empower them with powerful knowledge to make valid decisions. Finally, the end results of parents’ participation are compared to increased student performance and achievement.

WORKSHOP THEME
Each level of the five DLOPI modules is exciting and fun-filled, and provides parents an opportunity to assess their level of involvement. All workshop sessions are interactive, allowing for an exchange of ideas and strategies for communicating with teachers, school administrators and empowering parents. View the five levels of DLOPI at www.dlopi.com and you may call (850)933-8478.

This dynamic training is a collaborative outreach effort by the Florida Department of Education’s Bureau of Family and Community Outreach, Nova Southeastern University and Audrey Lewis-Potter, Parent Services Coordinator from North Florida.