Teachers Can’t Do It Alone: Mobilizing Families and Communities to Grow Language Beyond the Classroom

About the Event

Jan. 8, 2026, 9 p.m.

Improving children’s reading outcomes demands strong language and knowledge skills, but schools alone don’t have time to do all that skill building. So how can schools support children’s extra dosage of playful skill-building, beyond the school day?

Joan Kelly and MaryKate DeSantis will present on their “it takes a village” model, creating realistic and productive school/family partnership programs that support reading development, ages 3 to grade 3. You’ll see how the research points all schools in this direction, hear what they learned from implementing a real-world program designed to engage caregivers and support teachers, and feel how structured collaboration could lower pressure on educators and help families understand their playful role in the learning-to-read process. Whether you’re a coach, administrator, or classroom teacher, you’ll walk away with strategies to motivate all the adults in a child’s life to become active partners in reading development. This is more than planning family outreach—it’s finding a way to activate the community for lasting impact.

Topic: Parents, Phonological Awareness, Reading, Writing
Grade: Pre-K, K-2, 3-5