{"id":93565,"date":"2019-08-05T10:25:33","date_gmt":"2019-08-05T14:25:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/seven-ways-to-welcome-lgbtq-families-as-young-people-head-back-to-school\/"},"modified":"2019-08-05T10:25:33","modified_gmt":"2019-08-05T14:25:33","slug":"seven-ways-to-welcome-lgbtq-families-as-young-people-head-back-to-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/seven-ways-to-welcome-lgbtq-families-as-young-people-head-back-to-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven Ways to Welcome LGBTQ Families As Young People Head Back to School"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seven Ways to Welcome LGBTQ Families As Young People Head Back to School<\/b>
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Post submitted by Kimmie Fink, Welcoming Schools consultant\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

As educators head back to school, it\u2019s important to remember they will be serving not just a classroom full of new students, but also families. The Family Equality Council estimates<\/a> that between 2 million and 3.7 million children under the age of 18 have an LGBTQ parent — a group that has typically been underserved, if not sometimes ignored, in school settings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The positive impact of making schools inclusive places for all families can\u2019t be underestimated. When students have their unique family structures represented in\u00a0school curriculum\u00a0 — through books, images and lessons — it leads to a feeling of connectedness in school, improves academic performance and creates an environment of emotional safety.<\/p>\n

To assist educators in making their classrooms and schools inclusive of LGBTQ families as they prepare for students who will soon be heading back to school, HRC Foundation\u2019s Welcoming Schools<\/a> is suggesting these seven positive steps to implement this fall:<\/p>\n

1. Use inclusive language on all forms.<\/strong> As educators prepare folders to go home the first day, they should ensure that handbooks, forms and other pieces of communication are inclusive of all family structures by using language such as \u201cfamilies and caring adults\u201d instead of \u201cmoms and dads.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Invite families to fill out a profile. <\/strong>Welcoming Schools recommends as teachers are gathering information at the beginning of the school year, they ask questions about which, if any, pronouns family members use, as well as the language they use to talk about their families (e.g. in a two-mom family, a child may call<\/a> one parent \u201cMom\u201d and the other \u201cMama\u201d).<\/p>\n

3. Add books that celebrate diverse families to your classroom library.<\/strong> Books such as Todd Parr\u2019s \u201cThe Family Book\u201d and Mary Hoffman\u2019s \u201cThe Great Big Book of Families\u201d highlight many different kinds of families. Check out this list<\/a> from Welcoming Schools for picture books featuring two moms and two dads.\u00a0<\/p>\n

4. Create a families bulletin board.<\/strong> Why not include families in your \u201cWho\u2019s In Our Room\u201d display? Invite each child to bring in a photograph of their family and post all the pictures under the words \u201cLove Makes a Family.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Incorporate a family lesson plan.<\/strong> Welcoming Schools\u2019 family lesson plans<\/a> are ideal to kick off the school year.\u00a0 Primary students will enjoy drawing their families in \u201cWhat is a Family?\u201d<\/a> while intermediate students can channel their inner poets with \u201cWhere I\u2019m From.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

6. Practice responding to questions and comments about families.<\/strong> It\u2019s important that educators are prepared for conversations with their students about diverse family structures, including\u00a0 answering questions that may arise such as, \u201cWho is their real<\/em> parent?\u201d These sample questions and answers<\/a> will help when that \u201cteachable moment\u201d arises.\u00a0<\/p>\n

7.Host a family night.<\/strong> Early on in the school year, educators should plan to bring families together for an evening of learning and fun. Welcoming Schools has guides for six types of events<\/a> to open dialogue and discussion with families.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Families play a critical role in school success. A positive teacher-family relationship can make all the difference in ensuring that children can reach their full potential. The foundation of trust and mutual respect is built from the very beginning of the school year by welcoming all families, especially those who have traditionally been left out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools<\/em><\/a> is the nation’s premier professional development program providing training and resources to elementary school educators to:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n