Tips to Engage Families

Educators play a crucial role in promoting mental health and well-being among children and families. ChildBuilders offers a variety of free, valuable resources for parents, aimed at fostering healthy relationships and emotional resilience in children.

Last month we asked you to share with each other your tips for engaging your families and parents with ChildBuilders’ free resources. Thank you so much to those of you who submitted answers! 

Our top answer was:

“I follow ChildBuilders’ Facebook page. When there is a post relevant to families, such as webinar announcements, I just repost it to my social media page.” 

Great idea!  The best part is that it doesn’t take much time. This strategy works best when you have a dedicated school counselor social media page or access to post to the campus social media page. Then, make sure to advertise your page to parents throughout the year!

Here are some other effective strategies educators can use to encourage families to utilize these resources:

1. Utilize Social Media Platforms: Social media is a powerful tool for spreading the word about valuable resources. As an educator, you can follow ChildBuilders’ Facebook page. When you find posts relevant to families, such as announcements about webinars, simply repost them on your social media page. This method is particularly effective if you manage a dedicated school counselor social media page or have the ability to post on your school’s page. Remember, the key to making this strategy work is to regularly advertise your social media page to parents throughout the year!

2. Leverage School Websites: Another great way to promote ChildBuilders’ resources is by posting a link to their workshops (found at ChildBuilders.org/workshops) on the counselor’s webpage of your school’s website. This provides parents with easy access to a wealth of information and resources that can help them in nurturing and supporting their children’s mental health.

3. Incorporate Information into School Communications: You can include a calendar of upcoming ChildBuilders’ webinars in your school newsletter or call-outs. Directly link to the calendar of webinars for parents and caregivers at https://childbuilders.org/events/tags/webinars-for-parents-and-caregivers/ or, for Spanish-speaking parents, at https://childbuilders.org/events/tags/talleres-para-padres-y-cuidadores/. This ensures that all families, regardless of their primary language, have access to these valuable resources.

By employing these strategies, educators can significantly contribute to the mental well-being of their students and their families, reinforcing the vital work done by ChildBuilders.