cole des parents du RESO

(Regroupement conomique et social du Sud-Ouest)

1) Category:
Project

2) Issues Behind the Project:

Of the 17 CLE de lle de Montral territories, the third most disadvantaged is the territory of the Centre local demploi (CLE) de Pointe-Saint-Charles (INRS, 2004): o o o 29% single-parent families; the highest level of formal education for 21% of the population is Grade 9; 38% of 15- to 24-year-olds do not attend school.

Various obstacles (family obligations, low self-esteem, costs, babysitting and transportation problems, etc.) hinder or curb the participation of adults with little education, more particularly, parents, in training activities. Measures that act directly on these impediments can have a positive impact not only on participation in a training program, but also on parents involvement in their childrens academic journey and success. Research has shown that parent involvement in education has a lasting effect on their childrens attitude towards school and schoolwork as well as on their perseverance and grades.

3) Objectives:
Reach parents with little education and access to resources through local mobilization of organizations and schools. Support parents as they improve their reading, writing, math and computer skills. Enhance the skills parents need to support and supervise their childrens academic success. Foster parent participation in activities to help them enter the job market, go back to school, or get involved in the community. Partner the cole des parents project with various local players engaged in supporting the academic success of parents and children.

4) Environment:
Family community organization Adult education center Primary schools

This factsheet was taken from the following website: www.coeureaction.qc.ca.

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5) Target Group:
Parents (men or women) who: have preschoolers (0-5 years old) or children in school; live in southwest Montral (Ville-mard, Cte-Saint-Paul, Saint-Henri, Petite-Bourgogne and Pointe-Saint-Charles districts); did not complete Sec. V; feel the need to learn, improve themselves or upgrade their knowledge, acquire tools for helping their children with school, or go back to school or re-enter the job market but who, due to family obligations, cannot do so full time.

6) Key Words:
Lcole des parents du RESO, curaction, school-family-community partnership, project, underprivileged communities, schooling, adult education, parents, going back to school, parental supervision, community involvement, community education.

7) Description:
cole des parents is a project aimed at reaching parents in situations of exclusion who need academic or occupational training. It was created in 2004 by Regroupement conomique et social du Sud-Ouest (RESO) in collaboration with Fondation Lucie et Andr Chagnon. This collaborative effort stems from a 2002-2003 pilot project on classrooms in parents and childrens natural living environment as part of the activities of Famille en tte, an organization sponsored by RESO and Fondation Lucie et Andr Chagnon. The purpose of the project is to offer parents a place where they can gather and take part in learning activities that help them break their isolation and better support their childrens success in school. The project is original in that adult education practices are linked with the development of parents educational practices. To make the classes more accessible to parents, they are given nearby to where they live. Help with babysitting, transportation and material is also offered to parents who want to participate.

8) Steps:
I. Recruit parents through diversified promotional strategies: Formal (promotional and communication activities aimed a broad swath of the southwest Montral population): ads in the community newspaper, advertising in local businesses, distribution of flyers, information booths in schools, and presentations at parent meetings; Informal (information focused on the target group): one-on-one contact in the schoolyard and at popular public sites and neighborhood activities. II. Intake and registration: Participants are welcome no matter what their status (unemployed, worker, social assistance recipient) and do not initially have to provide official information (transcripts, information about income, immigration file). Official registration, required for project funding purposes, is later on.
This factsheet was taken from the following website: www.coeureaction.qc.ca. Page 2 of 6

The time of registration and the length of participation in the project are left up to parents. Parents needs and expectations are discussed at registration. III. Training workshops: The instructor, from the Centre de ressources ducatives et pdagogiques (CREP), teaches class content based on a training plan and learning objectives tailored to participants needs. Latitude is called for so that the content of workshops is, when necessary, adapted to the context and the interests expressed. The two-hour, twice-a-week workshops are given according to the parents schedules and vary with the group concerned. The workshops are organized according to the groups specificities and the instructors teaching style. IV. Support: The basic training adviser regularly co-moderates the workshops with the instructor in order to introduce important themes and manage group dynamics. The participants have the opportunity to express themselves, give their opinions and talk with their peers. The support provided by the adviser also entails support for participation. The adviser maintains regular phone contact with the participants to help make it easier for them to attend the workshops given individual constraints and to offer them support if anything is hindering their participation.

9) Activities/Actions:

The pedagogical approach, inspired by community education principles, also takes it cue from the needs expressed by the participants. Individuals are seen holistically and the approach takes their learning needs into account as well as their experience of reality as parents and adults. In other words, themes are chosen to mesh with participants interests, concerns, and aspirations. Throughout the process, cole des parents emphasizes transferable skills, including communication and decision-making, with a view to supporting participants empowerment, not only in terms of daily logistics and developing a project for joining the mainstream of society, but also in terms of their support for their childrens educational journey. How the workshops are conducted:

o o

The participants do written French, basic math and computer exercises adapted to their particular skill level and personal project and designed so that learning is transferable to daily life. The workshops are co-moderated on a regular basis by RESO basic training advisers tasked to manage group dynamics and support the development of transferable skills, the involvement of parents in their childrens academic journey, and the development of a project for joining the mainstream of society. Group size is kept at ten participants at most to foster parents interpersonal skills and contribute to the formation of a network in which parents can socialize and help each other. cole des parents also organizes a number of activities with neighborhood resources such as visits of adult education centers and social integration organizations outside of workshop hours. These visits give parents the opportunity to discover the options available to them for developing a blueprint for their future.

o o

This factsheet was taken from the following website: www.coeureaction.qc.ca.

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10) Resources Required:

Human resources: Coordinator Basic training adviser, instructor Infrastructure Space and computers o o o o Cell phone Commission scolaire de Montral Emploi-Qubec Centre de ressources ducatives et pdagogiques (CREP) Financial resources

11) Roles of the Stakeholders:

The project coordinator: o o o o o o brings together the resources needed for the training project to work; develops partnerships for the slate of services and takes advantage of various opportunities for joint action and consultation; supports promotion of the project; manages the project team and activities; oversees evaluation, partnership agreement management and budget monitoring; coordinates action plan implementation.

The basic training adviser: o o o o o welcomes the participants, helps them fill in the registration form and find childcare, and assesses their needs; promotes the project, establishes the referral system, and ensures participant recruitment; designs the plan for the session in collaboration with the training partner; carries out activities with the partners; coaches and supports the parents through workshops or individualized follow-up with a view to their obtaining training and carrying out a personal development project

The instructor: o o o o o o evaluates the participants French proficiency level and training needs; works with the adviser to put together training plans; develops the instructional content in collaboration with the adviser; teaches the instructional content and evaluates learning; collaborates as needed with RESO to resolve any problems that may arise; occasionally participates in meaningful community activities with the group.

This factsheet was taken from the following website: www.coeureaction.qc.ca.

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RESO employability service director: o o monitors project establishment; takes part in pre-project reflection and strategic planning.

RESO administrative services: o in charge of the projects financial management in collaboration with the coordinator, who ensures there are no budget overruns.

12) Scientific Basis or Validity:

A study co-authored by Franois Larose, a full professor and scholar at Universit de Sherbrooke, and the CTREQ examined the impact of implementing the cole des parents program on elements such as the parents: o o o empowerment; changes in their attitudes and skills in terms of supervision and support of their childrens learning in school; evolution of their ability to interact with educators and socioeducators in their childrens extended educational community;

The study shows that after participating in cole des parents, the parents: o o o had a more positive perception of the ability of teaching staff to meet their childrens needs; also tended to use play as an educational or instructional approach with their children and to volunteer in school (once a month); had enhanced self esteem, which increased in proportion to the number of sessions in which they participated.

The final report issued from the impact study of cole des parents program is available at this link (in French): http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/media/wordpress/2013/04/Rapport_final_EdP_synth %C3%A8se_Mars2013.pdf You can also find a summary of this report, presenting the main results, on the RIRE Website (in French): http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/2013/04/%C2%AB-lecole-des-parents%C2%BB/

13) Protective factors or determinants of success:

Family system o o o Living environment Parent involvement in school The importance of education within the family

Community system o Mobilization at school and around success in school

This factsheet was taken from the following website: www.coeureaction.qc.ca.

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Extracurricular services for parents and young people

Child/student system o Healthy lifestyles

School system o School-family-community relations

14. Project Material:

Website: http://www.resomtl.com/docs//ResGuideecoleparents.pdf This document is a practical guide aimed at presenting cole des parents and the conditions for its success, and at getting people to think about whether they can duplicate a project of this kind.

15) Additional Information:

The information contained in this factsheet was taken, in whole or in part, from: http://www.resomtl.com/docs//ResGuideecoleparents.pdf

16) Contact:
Nicole Gladu, cole des parents project coordinator RESO 3181, rue Saint-Jacques Montral (Qubec) H4C 1G7 Tel.: (514) 931-5737, extension 278 Email: ngladu@resomtl.com

This factsheet was taken from the following website: www.coeureaction.qc.ca.

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