WELCOME
Welcome to SHARE Resources in Education, where our passion is to provide every child with a bright and equitable future in education. SHARE is an acronym and a vision for "School and Home are Engaged.” It was created for the purpose of supporting young learners by bridging parents and teachers in the shared quest for school readiness.
Research tells us that parent influence in the first five years of a child's life is the leading predictor of future academic achievement, and that effective communication between parents and teachers is key to unlocking a child’s fullest potential. SHARE Resources in Education books equip parents with easy-to-follow guidance using common household materials for hands-on activities full of learning. They align school to home curriculum and promote valuable feedback between parents and teachers.
We are committed to empowering parents and teachers to promote the wellness and trajectory of our young learners. Together, we can make a difference and foster a love of learning.
*"parent" is intended to encompass caregivers and family
BOOKS
Parent Engagement Resources found on Amazon.com
Key Benefits and Highlights
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Parent insight Each activity begins with an explanation of why this experience is important for their child’s development.
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Easy-to-use Instructions are written in simple terms that readers can understand.
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Accessible The materials required are nearly always free, or very close to it. They utilize resources found in the everyday environment of most homes and communities.
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Teacher benefits The teacher assigns a child an activity to work on by notating it on the Table of Contents page. When it is completed, she will receive the My SHARE Journal page or work sample back, with evidence for documentation of the skills practiced and learned at home and feedback from parents.
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In-kind Parents log how much time was spent on the activity with their child on the My SHARE Journal page that comes back to school. This can be utilized as volunteer time and/or in-kind for many programs.
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Foundational tools Each book includes the research basis, suggested daily practices for parents, developmental milestones, positive affirmations and reading logs. Some reading material in the way of nursery rhymes is built in.
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Scaffolds Activities offer extension ideas, providing opportunities to independently scaffold the activity based on the interest and developmental level of the child.
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Open-ended Questions and engagement are open-ended. No worksheets.
Education Manager
“This would help teachers gather evidence that they can use for child assessment and I like that it ties to CLASS for families."
Head Start Director
"This would help us a lot with in-kind because now we would have a way to document parent involvement hours. We've never had that. Parent hours are in-kind. $20 per child per year for this would be nothing. We couldn't even print it for that."
Family Engagement Manager
“The first thing I would do is buy 10 of these for my family service workers, to understand this in order to support the parents. It would help them understand how parents engage with children in learning. ”
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Sandra Bush has a BS in Business Management from S.U.N.Y. Geneseo and combines her business development background with 13 years of experience as an Early Childhood Education Specialist, consulting ECE providers in current scientific research, standards and best practices. Her areas of expertise in early childhood include diversity, family engagement, educational technology, program growth and improving outcomes in kindergarten readiness.
Ann Kelly graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in Early Childhood Education and earned a Master’s degree in Special Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She has 31 years of experience in the field of Early Childhood Education, holding positions such as Head Start Director, Education and Disabilities Manager, the Community Engagement Coordinator, the Early Head Start Supervisor, Mentor Coach, and Professional Development Coordinator. Ann also served as an adjunct professor and CDA Specialist. She is the owner of Early Childhood Professional Development Corporation where she provides online training opportunities to child care professionals,