Attendance
Family engagement is a key strategy in an overall plan to achieve improved attendance and on-time arrivals. Find resources available online that can assist schools in addressing absenteeism and tardiness.
Carolina Family Resource Centers
Community Family Resource Centers (CFRCs) create new ways of communicating with families who face challenges in accessing information and resources to support their children’s learning and development. Find the CFRC closest to you.
Families Experiencing Homelessness
Many wonderful organizations across South Carolina support families experiencing homelessness. It is vital that families and youth who are homeless know that help is available – that they have educational rights and know how to exercise them.
Families with Children in Foster Care
Carolina Family Engagement Center is connecting with community organizations to ensure foster families have equitable access to public education, regardless of a child’s guardianship circumstances.
Families with Children with Disabilities
Find access to family training materials and resources through organizations for families with children with disabilities.
Financial Literacy
Teachers can find resources from local and national organizations that help teach and engage students in financial learning in fun and creative ways.
Grandfamilies
We recognize that many households with children are headed by one or both grandparents. Grandfamilies may face special challenges engaging in their children’s learning and development in partnership with their child’s school.
Latinx Families
We're working with families, schools, and communities to ensure Latino/x students and English language learners have equitable access to public education, regardless of a child’s or guardian’s citizenship, immigration status, or English language proficiency. Trabajamos con familias, escuelas y comunidades para garantizar que los estudiantes latinos y los que aprenden inglés tengan acceso equitativo a la educación pública, independientemente de la ciudadanía, estado de inmigración o dominio del idioma inglés del niño o de sus padres.
Language Access
Existing federal laws require that school districts provide MLL parents with the language assistance (translation and interpretation) services needed to facilitate meaningful home-school communication and to access the same school information provided to other parents. Find information and resources that support districts and schools in providing these language assistance tools for families.
Literacy Project
The Carolina Family Engagement Center (CFEC) in partnership with the South Carolina State Library have developed a series of three family engagement kits (e.g., self, family, community), each of which is designed to help give parents and caregivers ideas on how they can use fun activities at home to support their children's social, emotional, and academic development (SEAD).
Mental Health Resources
The South Carolina Department of Mental Health (DMH) is the leading provider of School Mental Health Services (SMHS) in the state. SMHS embeds certified Master’s level mental health professionals in schools to provide students with mental health assessment, intervention, and treatment services, including individual, group, and family therapy. If you prefer not to use mental health services provided through the SC Department of Mental Health, we also provide some suggestions on how to find a private mental health provider for your child and/or family.
Native American Families
CFEC in partnership with Dr. Cathy Compton-Lilly supported a family-community initiative that involves the creation of bilingual soft-bound children's books that introduce children to the Cherokee language.
Professional Development
See a sampling of professional development sessions and workshops available through the Carolina Family Engagement Center (CFEC) on topics related to family engagement in education.
Public School Choice
Parents have a growing array of options from which to find the school that will best meet the needs of their children. Here is some information that can help you identify the options available to you and the best option for your child.
Reading and Writing
Find some resources on teaching literacy skills.
Ready, Set- Kindergarten!
There are six areas of growth and experience that research tells us are involved in helping a child progress and succeed. These guides offer a brief introduction to each area and provide samples of the experiences and skills children need in order to be prepared to move through preschool at three, four, and five years of age.
School Decision Making
SICs are one way that parents can participate in school decision making about their school’s improvement plans as well as provide regular input and feedback to their school. Find out how you can get involved in your school's SIC.
Student Success Toolkit [pdf]
The Carolina Family Engagement Center (CFEC) Student Success Toolkit for Families helps the family plan for their student’s success and has worksheets to guide them in the process of plan development and implementation.
Stay Connected
Find out more about our latest projects, learn about new ways to engage, and see how we are making an impact: