PAC/Time (Parent And Child Time)

Once a month, after the school day is done, families and staff from each classroom sit together during dinner, talk to each other, and continue to build positive relationships. The Parent and Child (PAC)/Time includes interactive literacy activities between parents and their children. PAC/Time is modeled after the High/Scope plan-do-review cycle used in our preschool classrooms.

• During the greeting activity, the teacher includes the entire group in some type of activity.
• During planning time, the teacher uses strategies to encourage the child to make a plan of what they would like to do that evening. The child’s plan is communicated to the family.
• During work time, the teacher models and instructs the family members to follow the child’s plan with them. If there is more than once child in the family, the staff will provide the one-on-one time with the other children and the parent can divide the time among their children.
• As the evening progresses to the parent/child group time, teachers lead a literacy-based activity. This activity reflects the New World Curriculum. The goals of this section of PAC/Time are to support the development of literacy in both parents and children; to provide for a transfer of skills and learning to the home setting; and to provide closure to PAC/Time.
• After the parent/child group time, the parents and children separate into two rooms or two separate areas. One teacher reads the children a book while another teacher leads a discussion with the parents asking them what they’ve learned. During this reflection time, teachers typically ask the parents questions such as, “What went well?”; “What was exciting?”; and “What parenting information would they like?” After this, the teacher hands out a take-home activity that will give the family an opportunity to support and enhance at home what was learned that evening.