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September seems so far from now, doesn’t it? Where will things stand at that time? Will school be back in session? Even as states begin cautiously reopening some businesses, schools remain closed. However, most expect that school will be back in session in the fall. But what will that look like? As we try to…

Parents are often the most powerful leaders for change. Why is that? Well, it just so happens that effective parenting skills have a lot in common with effective leadership skills. Parents use powerful and complex leadership skills and abilities as they manage their households every day and guide their children in the little and big…

Every 10 years, the United States federal government is required to collect an accurate count of all residents of this country. It’s such an important task, that the framers of the U.S. Constitution included it in the first Article: “Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within…

The current issue of COVID-19 has raised a lot of questions, including the discussion of how it is affecting our schools. More than just classrooms and hallways, for some families school is a haven for their children. Now with the closure of many schools and programs across the country, its left families with the challenge…

It cannot be put any clearer than this: Parents are the gateway to their child’s education. Although you cannot demand parents become involved in their child’s education, as an educator of young children, you can foster parental involvement by following a few simple, common-sense communication strategies that have existed since the dawn of spoken language.…

I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail. Muriel StrodeThe Wind-Wafted Wild Flowers, 1903 In the past, women were much more likely to be the primary caregivers who nurtured a child’s early development. That means that when the fathers…

I saw an interesting article recently on Medium called “The most important theory you’ve never heard of as a parent.” That theory is attachment theory, coined by psychoanalyst John Bowlby in the late 60s. We often discuss how the presence of a parent is important for the development of the child. However, just being there…

Have you ever heard the saying, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts?” I can’t think of a better example than when parents and educators are on the same page when it comes to preparing for a child’s future. While each side’s contribution is essential on its own, when communication is flowing…

Canton, Ohio-based attorney Corey Minor Smith is a long-time client, associate, and friend of The Gravely Group. She is a former Head Start parent and Board Member, speaker, and mental health advocate. She has recently written her debut book, titled #Driven, a resource for family and friends that care for a loved one living with…

In Head Start, shared governance is something we live by every day. From the very beginning, the framers of Head Start wanted to provide parents and community representatives with the authority and opportunity to participate in share decision-making concerning program design and implementation. But as we know, as human beings, we sometimes disagree. That’s completely…