Little Vikings families engage safely in student learning

Sussex Consortium staff members know the importance of family involvement in a student’s education.

Cape Henlopen School District students are being served with both in-person and remote learning. Due to safety restrictions, however, parents and guardians are not able to enter the school buildings as they had been in the past.

This raised a challenge regarding parental engagement, but the Sussex Consortium has risen to the challenge, and is taking this opportunity to establish and strengthen relationships with families.

Liz Cherico, Sussex Consortium assistant principal, said, “As we know, family engagement is a huge predictor of academic achievement. During social distancing requirements, involving families in the classroom requires a high level of creativity. Although family engagement may be more difficult in our current state, our teachers know it is more important than ever and are stepping up to the challenge.” 

The consortium’s Little Vikings Learning Center has involved families in the classroom in many ways this school year, including inviting them to livestream into the classroom.

Little Vikings preschool teacher Regina Kroll said, “I wanted to find a creative way to include my students’ families in the classroom. Having family members use Zoom to join the classroom and read to the group really makes the students feel happy while creating a positive learning environment.”

Family members have said they have been grateful to be involved in the learning process in creative ways that meets their individual needs and schedules.

The Sussex Consortium staff members agree that working together with families has assisted in building a strong classroom community even during remote learning.