Stephanie, a single mother of two, had her own struggles when she was in school and found it difficult to help her children with their homework. She was withdrawn and did not communicate with school staff. Her daughter, Chelsea, was falling behind in the second grade and her teacher became concerned. She turned to Partners For Success® Family Support Worker Ashley for help in reaching Stephanie.

After a couple of months of repeated attempts to connect, Ashley was able to set up a meeting with Stephanie and discovered that she was anxious to engage with school. She said that she simply did not know how to begin to support her children academically.

Ashley listened to her and validated her feelings. She then worked with Stephanie and teachers to develop a Family Learning Plan that was easy to follow. Since communication between home and school
was established, Chelsea’s teacher reports that all of her homework is coming back to school. Stephanie has been communicating regularly and has even come in to volunteer in the classroom, something she had not had the confidence to do previously.

This story is another example of how partnering for success with students often begins with building a trusting relationship with parents.