{"id":266175,"date":"2025-09-30T09:42:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T09:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/266175\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T09:42:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T09:42:12","slug":"philadelphia-school-district-relaunches-parent-and-family-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/266175\/","title":{"rendered":"Philadelphia School District relaunches Parent and Family University"},"content":{"rendered":"

The School District of Philadelphia\u2019s Parent and Family University will provide civic engagement, financial literacy, and other resources for participating schools\u2019 caregivers and parents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The program provides unique learning opportunities, said Monique Braxton, a spokesperson for The School District of Philadelphia<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so important that we engage with our parents and also invite our parents to be a part, because, after all, parents are our students\u2019 first teachers,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The program<\/a>, which was launched back in 2009, offered several in-person classes on topics such as homework assistance for children, education continuation and parent-faculty relationships. In 2015, the program was phased out.<\/p>\n

After Superintendent Tony Watlington came into office, he promised to relaunch it<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The new program will launch on Oct. 14 in participating schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Four pillars<\/p>\n

Braxton said Parent & Family University provides courses, resources and support that focuses in four areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c[The first] is health and wellness,\u201d she said. \u201cWe think that the health and wellness of our students, specifically mental health, is extremely important.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

This collection of events includes lessons on everything from how to prepare and look for healthy, smart snacks to workshops on how to get fit and remain active.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Student attendance and joy is next.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want our students to be in class 90% of the time, and we also want them to be excited about returning to school and returning to classrooms,\u201d Braxton said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In this category, workshops include introductions to school curricula and how parents and caregivers can support children as they learn these topics, how to build learning skills at home, and hands-on activities to practice comprehension.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The third pillar is civic engagement. This allows parents to learn how to be active in the community, how to vote, and how to take part in \u201cnon-partisan civic activities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The last pillar is financial literacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of us were not taught financial literacy,\u201d Braxton said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said courses include things like budgeting, borrowing and credit and real estate, and help adults make empowering choices for themselves and the students they care for.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Braxton said that all of the eight participating school locations will have extra resources for families participating in the programming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe program is free,\u201d she said. \u201cThere will be resources by experts and outside vendors, and some of our internal teachers are also participating as instructors. There\u2019s free childcare. There\u2019s going to be support at eight schools, and light meals will be served. There will be dinner two nights a week and then on a Saturday a month. There\u2019s also the virtual component, if that works better for some families.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

There will be additional resources, including job and resource fairs. There is a major need for this program, Braxton said, as changing family dynamics have led to an increased need for extra support.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLife has changed for a lot of families,\u201d she said. \u201cYou have some grandparents who are raising children, you have aunts and uncles who are raising children, and we think it\u2019s important that we partner not just with the parent but the extended family to accelerate academic achievement in the city of Philadelphia and in the school district, and so the students can really imagine and fulfill any dream that they desire.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Parents and guardians who have students at any of the eight participating schools can find more information about these events on the school district\u2019s website.<\/a> The eight participating schools are:\u00a0<\/p>\n